This season starts at the Colorado street bridge in Pasadena, California. The teams arrive in a hippie bus and are:

Trey & Lexi, football player and cheerleader, dating from Austin Texas.

Natalie & Nadya, twins born in New York and raised in Sri Lanka

James & Abba, rock star and lawyer from Los Angeles

Josh & Brent, goat farmers from Sharon Springs, New York

Amy & Daniel, dating on and off for 10 years from Creston View, Colorado. Amy is a double amputee and has artificial legs.

Caitlin & Brittany, best friends from the mid west

Rob & Sheila, lumberjacks from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Gary & Will, substitute teachers and best friends for 35 years.

Abbie & Ryan, dating divorcees from San Diego, California

Jaymes & James, Chippendale performers from Las Vegas, Nevada

Rob & Kelly, married monster truckers from Boston, Georgia

Choice quotes: "I'm hoping that we win this race so I can finally get a ring on my finger", Lexi has plans "We're comfortable being uncomfortable", the rock stars have experience "Rob is definitely the boss of this relationship"", Sheila "Will and I have applied for the race 7 times. We are the largest fans, the biggest fans, the superedest fans.", Gary "If we don't win the race I'm getting a divorce... from him", Will has humor "I would not be satisfied with anything but first place. I want world domination, I want to be bowed down to", Ryan

At the starting line Phil gives his usual spiel. He tells the teams there will be 12 legs, 9 countries and more than 25.000 miles. He also lets teams know that if the team which wins the first leg also wins the final leg, then that team will win 2 million dollars instead of the usual 1 million.

The first task is just around the bend of the bridge. It is a 10 stories rappel down from the bridge to the ground below. Once down teams can open their next clue and jump into the sponsors cars.

Both members of a team are joined by a short rope so they have to descend at the same speed.

Choice quotes: "I don't know if I can do this", Gary is not fond of heights

The actually rappel seems to go fairly quickly. The main difference is that it takes some teams much longer to get started.

Route info: Make your way to Shanghai, China.

Once inside the cars Phil appears on the video screen and says: "You may only travel on one of two flights. China airlines flight 7, scheduled to land at 10:50 am. And Eva air flight 15, scheduled to land at 12:05 pm. Warning, only the first seven teams to check in at the China airlines counter will get tickets on the fastest flight."

At the airport Josh was nice and let Rob & Kelly get ahead of them. Unfortunately this caused Josh & Brent to just miss the first flight.

When teams land they must proceed by taxi to Yuanshen sports center stadium where they will find the next clue box. Or at least that is what we are shown. In reality the clue they received at the starting line directed them to travel by train into the city. At the train station they found a clue box containing the clue directing them to the sports center.

Here we also see that Roby & Kelly is the only team having rollaway bags. All the other teams use backpacks.

Road block: Who's ready to get paddled?

In this road block teams must play table tennis against a Chinese junior champion. They must score one point against this opponent. To make things go slower they only get to play one ball before the champion moves to the next table.

To make matters more interesting she will only use a normal paddle for the first few balls. Then the champion will use common household items to play. The items she will use are in order: 1. Ping-pong paddle 2. Clip board 3. Frying pan 4. Tambourine 5. Pen case 6. Cellphone 7. TAR clue

All players get creamed by the girl except Josh who gets a lucky break.

Choice quotes: "These kids are crazy', Jaymes feel humiliated that his partner is getting beaten by a kid with a clip board "She had some mad skills with a ping-pong ball", Daniel "Just hit it like this. Slam it", Nadya is full of helpful tips "Shut up", but her sister does not appreciate the help "At home, Trey like rocks at ping pong", Lexi has faith in her partner

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+3)

Abbie* & Ryan

(1-0)

Clip board

2(+3)

James* & Abba

(1-0)

Clip board

3(-2)

Jaymes & James*

(0-1)

Clip board, at 12:29

4(-2)

Caitlin* & Brittany

(1-0)

Frying pan, at 12:30

5(+1)

Amy & Daniel*

(0-1)

Tambourine

6(-3)

Natalie* & Nadya

(1-0)

Pen case

7(+0)

Rob & Kelly*

(0-1)

TAR clue

8(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(1-0)

Clip board

9(+0)

Rob* & Sheila

(1-0)

Frying pan, at 13:15

10(+0)

Gary* & Will

(1-0)

Clip board, at 13:23

11(+0)

Josh* & Brent

(1-0)

Paddle

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way to CuiPing Jiu Jia.

Note: You will find CuiPing Jiu Jia at Gui ZhouLu 107.

Cui Ping Jiu Jia turns out to be a restaurant where teams find their next clue held by a yellow and red frog status outside the entrance. Teams arrive here in the following order: 1(+1) James & Abba 2(-1) Abbie & Ryan 3(+1) Caitlin & Brittany 4(+1) Amy & Daniel, before the first team is done 5(-2) Jaymes & James 6(+0) Natalie & Nadya 7(+0) Rob & Kelly 8(+0) Trey & Lexi, before #7 (who was on the first flight) have left 9(+0) Rob & Sheila, as #8 finish up 10(+0) Gary & Will 11(+0) Josh & Brent

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who wants to go tubing?

Note: If you did the TableTennis Roadblock, yourpartner MUST do this.

Inside the clue reads:

Quote

Enjoy a traditionalChinese dessert -Hasma, the fallopiantubes of female frogs.

Each player gets a plate with two hollowed out papayas filled with Hasma and a pair of chopsticks.

The additional information for this challenge states "You may not pick up the plate or the papaya from the table" and "You must use your chop sticks to eat all you food. You may not use your hands."

Natalie engages the other restaurant guests and have them all chanting for Nadya.

Choice quotes: "It was like overcooked macaroni", Abba "Papaya is may favorite fruit, was", Abba is not too fond of the food

"Hmm, amazingly good. Have you not had Fallopian tubes baby", Ryan to Abbie "I have two, but please don't eat mine", Abbie takes the literal approach

"Everything my mommy told me about how to eat, I let go out the window", Jaymes

"Oh, I ain't eating two more", Rob does not want to eat another serving (but he eventually does anyway)

The monster truckers do not read their clue correctly so Rob lifts the papaya from the table. He gets told this when he has eaten all and have to start over again with a new serving. In later interviews we also learn that initially Daniel started to eat their serving, even though he did the table tennis. But Amy realized they were making a mistake and did the task instead. They did not get a penalty for this.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

James & Abba*

(1-1)

around 12:59

2(+0)

Abbie & Ryan*

(1-1)

3(+2)

Jaymes* & James

(1-1)

4(+0)

Amy* & Daniel

(1-1)

5(-2)

Caitlin & Brittany*

(1-1)

at 13:11

6(+0)

Natalie & Nadya*

(1-1)

7(+0)

Rob* & Kelly

(1-1)

8(+0)

Trey & Lexi*

(1-1)

9(+0)

Rob & Sheila*

(1-1)

10(+0)

Gary & Will*

(1-1)

11(+0)

Josh & Brent*

(1-1)

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way to theBund and search for thewoman using an abacus.

The woman teams need to find sits by the waterfront. She is wearing a red dress and sitting under a red parasol with a yellow foot. She works with an yellow and red abacus in her lap and the clues are hidden in a bag. All in all this makes it easy to miss her, specially since the Bund is a rather large place. So it should come as no surprise that a lot of teams have a difficult time locating her. And we get lots of shots where the cameraman zooms in on her in the background while having a bewildered team in the foreground.

Rob & Sheila ask at a hotel before they go to the Bund and are directed to the Bank of China. So they waste time by looking there.

Josh & Brent are lucky as a passerby recognizes another pair of crazy Americans and directs them right to the lady.

Rob & Sheila are also give directions by a passerby, but still have trouble locating the lady.

During this we get shots from an interview where Jaymes talks about how they need the money to be able to help his dad.

We also get to see a few teams not tell others that they have found the lady. This includes Natalie & Nadia and Gary & Will.

Choice quotes: "We are looking for a lady using an abacus. Why isn't she using a calculator?", Ryan at least knows what an abacus is "James, this makes no sense. Jaymes is loosing it while searching

As Amy & Daniel get directions from a local Abbie & Ryan appear and asks if they found the lady. They are nice and tell Abbie & Ryan. Unfortunately for Amy & Daniel this does not bring good karma for them. Instead it enables Abbie & Ryan to sprint past them and nab the first spot.

Jaymes & James have a hard time finding the lady. When they spot Caitlin & Brittany sprint pass they follow, all the way to the pit stop. However, to their credit, the moment they spot Phil they realize their mistake and turn around. They keep looking and eventually encounter Trey & Lexi on their way to the pit stop and get told to look for a lady in a red dress.

Choice quotes: "Sorry guys, this is for two million", Ryan as they pass Amy & Daniel "Gary and I will do anything to win. We will cheat, decieve.", Will & Gary, being superfans of the show, will do anything to win "Just say ten, please lord", An exhausted Jaymes approaches the mat

Teams are released from the pit stop at the Bund signal tower in Shanghai in the following order:

1.

Abbie & Ryan

05:35

2.

Amy & Daniel

05:36

(+0:01)

3.

Caitlin & Brittany

05:41

(+0:06)

4.

Natalie & Nadiya

06:05

(+0:30)

5.

Rob & Kelly

06:08

(+0:33)

6.

James & Abba

??:??

(+?:??)

7.

Josh & Brent

??:??

(+?:??)

8.

Gary & Will

??:??

(+?:??)

9.

Trey & Lexi

??:??

(+?:??)

10.

Jaymes & James

??:??

(+?:??)

Route info: Fly to Surabaya, Indonesia. When teams land they have to travel to the Alun Alun stadium. This rather small stadium is where they will find their next clue. Teams also learn that the winner of this leg will get an express pass.

"We need to go to Indonesia, Ind-do-nesia", Caitlin asks a local on the streets of Shanghai

At the airport 9 teams go via Jakarta: GA895 PVG-CGK 10:05-15:21

In Jakarta there is a mad dash to the transfer desks to try to get tickets to the first flight to Surabaya. The only team which manages to get tickets to this, very full flight, is James & Abba who end up on: GA322 CGK-SUB 17:02-18:25 (was supposed to be 16:35-18:00)

The rest have to take: GA324 CGK-SUB 18:28-??:?? (was supposed to land at 19:00 but departed 0:53 late so it probably landed around 19:45)

"Long Hair, don't care just ran through, they might have got it", Jaymes get the title while waiting at the transfer desk

The only team which is by themselves is Rob & Kelly who travel via Hong Kong on: KA871 PVG-HKG 08:20-10:55 CX781 HKG-SUB 15:55-19:38 (landed 0:03 late)

"They're all together so either we made a big good move or we made a really bad move", Kelly see the other teams at the airport

I can't fathom why Rob & Kelly did not at least check which flight the other teams were on. Getting separated from the pack this early in the race is very risky. They are lucky that the first thing teams encounter in Indonesia is an hours of operation.

The way the episode is cut it looks like Rob & Kelly land long after all the other teams. But looking at the flight times above we see that they probably landed before the second plane from Jakarta. Even so they probably exited the airport last since they arrived on an international flight and had to clear immigration and customs.

"From the jump Nadia and I felt that we really liked Lexi & Trey. We call them the Texans. They're so far away from home", Natalie "Bull-racing at 8 am tomorrow. They don't have air conditioning in this place and it is hot as crap", Brittany looks worn

The clue at the stadium is a red and yellow sign "Take a number" which hangs on a fence over 10 numbered whips. Next to this hangs a poster for Bull races which start at 08:00. This is fairly hard to spot so some teams spend a long time looking for it. Eventually they all find it in the following order: 1. James & Abba 2. Amy & Daniel 3. Abbie & Ryan 4. Jaymes & James 5. Trey & Lexi 6. Natalie & Nadiya 7. Josh & Brent 8. Caitlin & Brittany 9. Gary & Will 10. Rob & Kelly

Production has been kind to the racers and arranged a huge trailer nearby where they can spend the night.

The next morning at 8 the gate opens and teams eventually learn that all they have to do is ride shotgun on pair of mopeds as they try to beat the bulls on a short course. The mopeds turn out to have not even a whisker of a chance since the bulls are crazy fast. But this does not matter since teams get their next clue anyway once they reach the goal.

So there is no skill at all involved in this task and the only purpose of it is to space the racers (probably about 5-10 minutes between each team) and to provide heaps of local color.

"We slipped up on the first leg, we're not gonna let it happen on this leg. We're going after that express pass", Daniel "We got this whip and we see some bulls. We're not really sure what's gonna happen next", James "This is crazy and awesome, we're racing bulls on a motorcycle", Amy sums it up

At the finish line teams get their next clue.

Route info: Make your way to the Genteng Kali bridge. Here the next clue can be found in a basket under a bunch of red and yellow balloons.

In this road block contestants must operate a pedal-powered amusement ride which seats four kids. While pedaling this contraption they must make 8 pieces of balloon art for the kids (one animal and one hat for each kid).

The first hurdle is to select four children. Some kids come willingly while others require more persuasion from their parents. All the kids are of course adorable.

This task is much harder than it looks. It is hot and the constant pedaling doesn't help. And while pedaling contestants have to make balloon animals, which is not easy. The editors have no shortage of shots of exploding balloons. The larger contestants also keep banging their knees into the machines they are pedaling.

Will is having a specially hard time. He is sweating, breaking balloons and generally not making any progress at all. After all other teams have left Gary manages to get him to calm down a bit before trying again. After that he starts making progress.

"I assessed the situation immediately as only a rock star can do, keep the kids entertained", Rock star James "If they were referring to real partying I would have said me. But because it is the Amazing Race and we knew the challenge wouldn't be to down 30 shots of tequila I went with it", Natalie and Nadia "The kids are probably nauseous", Amy has been pedaling for quite a while "Good job guys", Jaymes congratulates Trey & Lexi when the latter are done "There are just some things that gays are naturally better at, and balloon animals is one of them". Brent "This is one of the hardest things I've ever done in my whole life. It freaks me out, this creative stuff, I can't do it", Will

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+4)

Trey & Lexi*

(1-2)

2(+0)

Amy* & Daniel

(2-1)

3(+3)

Natalie & Nadiya*

(1-2)

4(-3)

James* & Abba

(2-1)

5(-1)

Jaymes* & James

(2-1)

6(-3)

Abbie* & Ryan

(2-1)

7(+0)

Josh* & Brent

(2-1)

8(+0)

Caitlin* & Brittany

(2-1)

9(+1)

Rob* & Kelly

(2-1)

10(-1)

Gary & Will*

(1-2)

Route info: "Make your way to Wijaya motors and search for your next clue." The problem is that the clue does not give an address and there are many shops with Wijaya in their names. So some teams struggle to find this location.

None struggle as much as Amy & Daniel who spend hours and almost all their money. The change taxis multiple times before they finally find it.

Each block of ice weights 65lb. Once they arrive at the market they must load it on an old bicycle cart and deliver it to a stall. It seems to not matter if the ice-blocks breaks during transport, as long as they bring all pieces.

Natalie & Nadiya put on an impressive performance here. Not only do they work fast and efficiently. But they also show that they are not afraid of getting dirty and smelly.

"Only thing is, all my sweaty makeup is gonna be on this... fish", Natalie "I pretty much think we're screwed", Gary see they are behind Rob & Kelly and think they are last

Search, on foot, for thenext Pit Stop in the areaoutside of BrambangPasar Pabean.

Warning!! The last Teamto check-in may beeliminated.

The next pit stop is in an alley behind the market. The editing makes it look like this place is easy to find. But in reality the market is huge so it may be a daunting task to find Phil. Eventually all teams reach Phil and the pit stop in the following order: 1(+0) Natalie & Nadiya, around 11:10, win the express pass 2(+0) Trey & Lexi 3(+0) Jaymes & James 4(+0) Abbie & Ryan 5(+0) Josh & Brent 6(+0) James & Abba 7(+0) Caitlin & Brittany 8(+0) Rob & Kelly, at 12:25 9(+0) Gary & Will, shortly after 12:30 10(+0) Amy & Daniel, at 13:30, are eliminated

Teams are released from the pit stop just outside Pasar Ikan Pabean in Surabaya, Indonesia, after a 19h pit stop in the following order:

1.

Natalie & Nadiya

06:07

2.

Trey & Lexi

06:12

(+0:05)

3.

Jaymes & James

06:16

(+0:09)

4.

Abbie & Ryan

06:19

(+0:12)

5.

Josh & Brent

06:26

(+0:19)

6.

James & Abba

06:34

(+0:27)

7.

Caitlin & Brittany

07:08

(+1:01)

8.

Rob & Kelly

07:22

(+1:15)

9.

Gary & Will

07:32

(+1:25)

Route info: Make your way to Antika Jaya Padang. Caution U-turn ahead. This destination turns out to be a restaurant where teams will find their next clue.

Natalie & Nadiya have problem finding out how to make their way to the next route market. They run into Trey & Lexi and decide to work together.

"Guys, we should go and wait for the other teams to see what they are doing at this point. We can go with the stupid Chippendales", Natalie

All the front teams are interested in an alliance so they decide to work together. The first four teams are together when they finally find out they have to take a taxi to the next route marker.

"This is a perfect example as when you've numbers you just do dumb *beep* things because you feel safe", Nadiya feels bunching up was a bad idea

The latter teams do not bunch up and show a bit more urgency.

"I can get punched in the face but I still won't cry. I mean, there's no crying in baseball", Brittany get the title talking about how tough they are "we have become that team you say 'What are they doing there?'.", Gary realize they are not a top performing team "When you do it for real it is so much harder", Gary find the race harder than it looks

Natalie & Nadiya have not only lost their lead. They also end up with a bad cab driver so after a while they switch taxis.

In this road block contestants must server 20 plates of food Padang style. They must successfully carry 20 plates of food from the kitchen to a table, all at once. The task is made significantly easier by the fact that there are no hygienic requirements regarding the food. The only condition is that they must not drop any plates. If they do they have to return to the kitchen and try again.

"My first job was working at Old Sara's Pancakes. When I got to Las Vegas I served drinks. I know how to carry a tray.", Jaymes has experience

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+3)

Jaymes* & James

(3-1)

On his first shown attempt at 07:02

2(+1)

Abbie & Ryan*

(2-2)

On his first shown attempt, seconds after #1

3(-2)

Trey & Lexi*

(1-3)

On her second shown attempt at 07:12

4(-2)

Josh & Brent*

(2-2)

On his second shown attempt[/i]

5(+0)

James & Abba*

(2-2)

On his first shown attempt

6(+0)

Natalie & Nadiya*

(1-2)

On her second shown attempt

7(+0)

Caitlin & Brittany*

(2-2)

On her first shown attempt

8(+0)

Rob* & Kelly

(3-1)

On his first shown attempt, at 07:54

9(+0)

Gary* & Will

(2-2)

On his first shown attempt, at 08:10

A lot of contestants have very dirty shirts when they leave this road block.

Route info: Make your way to Surabaya Gubeng train station... Travel by train to the town of Bangil... Take a seat and keep your eyes open for your next clue.

Teams on the first train are elated when they learn from a local that the next train isn't until 10.55. Most of them agree to not use the upcoming U-turn. The only team on that train which keeps apart are James & Abba who are sitting in a different part of the train so they are not involved in the discussions.

The mood on the second train is a bit more grim. These teams know they are fighting to avoid last place. But Caitlin & Brittany are confident since they think they are a lot stronger than the other teams on that train.

On the train there are vendors selling food to the passengers. One of these also carries the next clue.

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: `Lion's Head' or`Egg Head'

Lion's Head: Join a parade!Play the part of a magicallion, known as "Singa...

in Lion's Head teams must don a costume and a heavy lion's head and take part in a procession. Every now and then they must stop and perform a series of choreographed moves. Players do not need to learn the moves beforehand since there is a choreographer in front of them all the time who shows them what to do. The only way to fail this detour is to drop your lion's head. And nobody does this.

In Egg Head teams must first travel to a market and buy four eggs from a marked stall. Then they must travel to the same park where the lion's head detour takes place and find a local magician. The magician and his helpers will then split a couple of coconuts. Players must hold a coconut half above their head while the magician lights a fire in it. The magician will then produce a frying pan and cook an omelet on the fire burning on the players head. Both players get to make omelet at the same time. Once done they pour hot sauce over it and the players have to eat it. There isn't much the players need to actually do in this detour. Just navigate to the stall and park and then hold the coconut half on their head and finally east some omelet. But it looks very impressive.

When the train arrives in Bangil teams must continue in bicycle rickshaws.

"We're in Indonesia. It's not designed for two gentlemen who are 6"4", Jaymes

Gary & Will have walked to the extreme front of the train in hope of this being the fastest way into the station. Unfortunately for them this means they are actually farthest from the platform. So they are very last out on the streets.

When teams arrive at the Alun-Alun park they find it a riot of colors and sounds. The producers have conjured up a local festival here. Teams doing the Lion's head suit up and quickly learn that the head they have to wear is really big and heavy. Like 40lb. It has to be held in the mouth, but they also use their hands to help holding it.

Caitlin & Brittany have trouble communicating with their driver. So it takes around 15 minutes just to pay him. They are clearly very frustrated by this.

"I don't know how many dudes have had their mouth on this thing before me.", James has a disturbing insight

"The eggs were fresh. I mean we're farmers, we know fresh eggs. These were laid this morning", Josh, the egg connoisseur

At this location there is a small police station/shed in which teams will find a blind double U-turn board and a clue box. Teams reach this in the following order: 1(+0) Abbie & Ryan 2(+0) Jaymes & James, after #1 have left 3(+0) Trey & Lexi, half a second or so after #2 4(+0) James & Abba 5(+0) Josh & Brent 6(+0) Natalie & Nadiya 7(+0) Rob & Kelly, U-turns Gary & Will 8(+1) Gary & Will, U-turns Rob & Kelly 9(-1) Caitlin & Brittany

The shed where the sign is located is small and Nadiya is in a hurry so she bangs her head into the camera in her haste to reach the clue box.

"I wanna see our picture. Oh, we're just cute", Natalie admires their picture on the U-turn board (it's probably the first time they've seen it) "Natty, shut up", But her sister is focused on the race

"They're behind us and we need a head start", Rob on why they U-turn Gary & Will

Yet again Caitlin & Brittany have bad luck with their driver. This one has probably handled other teams earlier in the day so he know here they ultimately want to go. Thus they end up at the pit stop. Changing driver does not help. Eventually they go back to the detour park.

At this point seasoned TAR watchers assume that Caitlin & Brittany are way ahead of Gary & Will and the producer only highlight their problems in order to make it look like a tight finish. This happened as late as the last episode where the last two teams seemed close but in reality was 1h apart.

Meanwhile Gary & Will reach the U-turn and find their picture. They can't decode whom to U-turn and they argue a between the monster truckers and the girls. If the U-turn hadn't been blind the decision would have been easier since they would have seen Rob & Kelly's picture on the board. As it is they eventually choose wrong and U-turn Rob & Kelly. And all the viewers assume this is the final nail in their coffin.

Gary & Will feel a bit down but still do their best with the egg detour. They seem to make quick work of it. And as we see them sitting in the park with their heads on fire we see Brittany & Caitlin in the background running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

This is a wonderful pit stop location and players are greeted by a bunch of female students which cheer them on as they run up to the mat.

The girls reach the U-turn sign before Gary & Will get there the second time. They leave for the pit stop. But their driver takes them on a tour of the neighborhood before getting back to the U-turn sign again. They have more trouble, but after a while they see Gary & Will in front of them. The girls quieten down and get their driver to pass the boys. And the race is on.

"Don't let them know we're coming up on 'em", Caitlin & Brittany are catching up to Gary & Will

This is where the finish gets really exciting. Gary thinks ahead a pays his driver before they have reached their destination. But the girls are ahead. And it does not look good for the teachers.

Up ahead is a T-junction. The girls driver go left while Gary & Will's go right. This is the pivot point which decides who gets last and who does not. After a few shots we learn that it is Gary & Will who went in the right direction.

It is hard to say if they were released in the vicinity of the school where the last pit stop was or somewhere else. The pit stop length was probably about 36 hours.

Route info: Fly to Bangladesh.

Teams must now fly to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Once they land they must make their way to, Rubel Model Auto Mobiles, a bus repair shop to get their next clue.

Only the first two teams are shown starting.

"First place nerds, we're gonna try to repeat this", Ryan like being first

Yet again the producers have conjured up a late-night open travel agency. The first two teams are shown going there. The others are not shown.

All teams get on the same flight, probably: CI752 SUB-SIN 05:55-09:17 SQ446 SIN-DAC 20:27-22:35

While boarding we learn that Gary & Will haven't figured out who U-turned them. But they, correctly, assume it was Rob & Kelly.

The above flight info is from spoilers. In the episode we see them buy tickets for a 10:00 flight from Surabaya on Singapore airlines. Teams probably switched to the earlier flight on the airport. There was also an earlier flight from Singapore to Dhaka on Biman Bangladesh Airlines which they for some reason did not use.

The episode makes it seem as if they arrive in the daylight hours, which do not match the flight information above. Via external means we have learned that teams spent the night at the airport before they were released the following morning.

Once they leave the airport in Dhaka chaos breaks out. Teams rush out of the airport into the chaotic streets outside to grab taxis. The only ones taking it easy is Rob & Kelly who go to a taxi stand inside the airport to pay for a taxi. This makes them seem to be the first team to find a taxi.

"It's gonna be fun tryin' to get around this place", Rob comments on the chaotic streets "This is third world Grand Theft Auto, plus bulls and goats", Natalie & Nadia have an aggressive driver "Sure is a symphony of car horns out here on the streets of Dhaka", Chippendale James "It's the best wooden roller coaster ride I've ever been on", Music James find the ride bumpy "This place is Funky Monkey", Ryan gets the title (repeated by Abbie)

Gary & Will's driver takes a 'Short cut' which ends up being rather long. Rob & Kelly who got such a nice car from the airport end up at a landfill.

"These two idiots got here first", The twins seem to be jealous of Abbie & Ryan

The clue envelope found in a bucket here contains a fast forward and a road block clue.

The only team going for the fast forward is James & Abba.

The fast forward clue reads "Take part of a vital service for the people of Dhaka". Teams must fill a bag with dead rats, collected from three different locations. For this task production have thoughtfully provided gloves. They walk between the locations.

The rats look like real dead rats. And some people might have a hard time handling them. But not James & Abba, their main problem is rather finding the different locations. But this gets easier once they attract more and more local kids enjoying the show.

"All right, let's hope for disaster for somebody. ... besides us", James & Abba have a hard time finding the first rat location "Like we never dealt with rats before in this business?", James have rat experience "There's that drummer, I remember him", James pretends to recognize a rat

"We had a whole parade full of people, and it was really awesome you know. To sort of sit there and see these little kids, and they're all happy and they're all running through the streets you know. It kind of felt like the pied piper. You get these little special things sometimes which aren't part of the race. Enjoy them, appreciate them, because that's really what it's about.", Abba gets philosophical

Abba makes a misstep and steps into some raw sewage. A helpful local comes with water and rinses it off. But Abba is worried.

The task is kind of gross but they guys have no problems with it and at the end they are told to go to the pit stop. This happens before 11:20.

The other teams go for the road block:

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who wants to fill in thegaps?

Teams have to use body putty to fill in the damage on a marked section of a bus. Once their work is approved they may then sand it so it is ready for painting. Finally they must remove three pairs of heavy seats from a bus and bring them to the refurbishing area.

This is a lot harder than it looks. The putty sets very quickly in the heat, and if the surface is not smooth enough they have to scrape it away and start over. This happened to multiple teams. According to interviews the task took around 2h to complete.

Ryan is careless with his information sheet so he has to ask the Chippendales to see theirs. He promises to help with the sanding as payment. James accepts immediately. The teams keep helping each other out, but Ryan never gets to help James sand since he is gone before James even get to the sanding stage.

"We can't loose here, we're the only brownies, we have to win", Nadiya tries to motivate her sister "We do all our own repairs on our monster trucks", Kelly explains that they have experience "I have this *beep* Sri-Lankan girl yelling at me, I can't concentrate", Ryan does not appreciate Nadiya's shouts of encouragement to Natalie "Mine is looking like... just buck shot",James realize he has to start over "You have a girlfriend? My sister is single", Nadiya tries to influence the judge "It needs to be smoother. I'm not really sure how to make that happen. Mine have more crevices than the Grand Canyon", James is not satisfied with his work

Abbie & Ryan have a real hard time with Nadiyas shouted encouragements to Natalie. Ryan describes them as "It's just like fingernails on a blackboard". Eventually he tries to shut them up with "There's gotta be a no talking timeout", but to no avail. In the end we see Abbie pretend to shoot herself in the head to escape the constant barrage of words from Nadiya.

"No way those girls can do that", Ryan finds the seats heavy. "I don't think they've ever seen a girl lift up a bus seat and like carry it over her head and just run", Nadiya

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Abbie & Ryan*

(2-3)

2(+2)

Rob* & Kelly

(4-1)

3(-1)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(2-2)

4(+2)

Josh* & Brent

(3-2)

5(-2)

Jaymes & James*

(3-2)

6(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(2-3)

7(+0)

Gary* & Will

(3-2)

probably just a couple of minutes after #7

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way toKawra Bazar ShootkirMarket and search a bagof dried fish for a Race"fish". Once found,exchange it for your nextclue.

At the market they have to find the marked stall and search through a bag of dried smelly small fishes. Each team seem to get it's own bag to search.

On their way to the market Trey & Lexi's taxi breaks down. It takes a while before the driver, through some emergency cooling techniques and push-starting, get it going again.

"They say to never give up on the race. You never know what's gonna happen", Gary has the right attitude "Good job guys", Even though Josh & Brent pass the Chippendales on the fish finding they are encouraged from the passed Chips

In pound the metal teams must use sledgehammers to transform a round piece of metal into a spike. A local will help them by pointing out where to hit it with their blows. They must also pump the bellows to get the iron hot enough.

In pound the cotton teams must first pound cotton to remove all the lumps and then stuff it into a mattress which they finally have to sew shut. The hardest part of this task is that you must put all the cotton inside the mattress. Some teams forget this and have to open it, stuff the remaining cotton, and sew it shut again.

Both detours take place within walking distance from the fish stall.

"She went to a fashion institute for a year. She made clothing", Ryan has faith in Abbie's sewing capabilities "You tell me what to do", Ryan cedes control to Abbie "I appreciate our wardrobe department just that much more", Jaymes & James find that sewing is hard "Josh used to sew a lot of his costumes when he was a drag queen", Brent lets Josh handle the sewing

To get there, take ariverboat from theKeranigonj Kholamoralaunch ghat to Swarighatin Old Dhaka. Thenmake your way on footor by bicycle rickshaw toPhil and the mat.

Warning!! The last Teamto check-in may beeliminated!

The pit stop is actually not all that far from the detour location. But teams must first travel relatively far by taxi to a place further up the river and then take a boat from there. Finally they must walk about a mile from Swarighat to the pit stop.

When Abbie & Ryan reach Keranigonj Kholamora they find out that the boat leaves in 5 minutes, so they wait anxiously hoping that no other team will arrive. Their hopes are dashed when Natalie & Nadiya appears before the time is up.

"I'm a little annoyed that we are with another group", Abbie on the boat "Now it's gonna be a footrace between us and the crazies couple here, who are almost psychotic. And they're in like crazy good shape so we know they can sprint like hell", Natalie on the boat

Josh & Brent reach the harbor just after Rob & Kelly's boat have left. Rob pretends to be lost when Josh asks for travel details.

Rob & Kelly get a private boat and their captain ends up driving them directly to the pit stop. When they check in with Phil he tells them they had to travel by boat to Swarighat, so they have to go back to their boat, got to Swarighat and then walk from there.

"You just cost me a million dollars", Rob is upset at their captain, but he just shrugs

Trey and Lexi also have a hard time navigating. Their taxi brings them directly to Swarighat. Here they run into Josh & Brent who explains what they need to do. They take a boat from Swarighat to Keranigonj Kholamora, and then directly take same boat back to Swarighat. When they arrive they run into Gary & Will who have also been left by Swarighat by their taxi. So they get to help the poor teachers like the goat farmers helped them.

2 hours before pit start musician James gets a distressing call from his wife. She tells him that his dad has been diagnosed with a bad form of cancer. All are very sorry, but his family urges him to continue with the race.

"There's gonna be a place in my hearth where I'm just gonna have a bit more push", James will continue the race

Teams are released from the pit stop at Shambazar Can Mia Ghat in the following order:

1.

James & Abba

07:39

2.

Abbie & Ryan

09:41

(+2:02)

3.

Natalie & Nadiya

09:42

(+2:03)

4.

Josh & Brent

10:53

(+3:14)

5.

Rob & Kelly

10:59

(+3:20)

6.

Jaymes & James

11:10

(+3:31)

7.

Trey & Lexi

11:34

(+3:55)

Teams receive a whooping $1 for this leg of the race.

Route info: Make your way to the Jatrabari Boro Bazaar.

Teams must travel to the largest produce market in Dhaka. Here they must find a Bagun vendor who will give them their next clue. No teams seem to have any real trouble locating the vendor once they get to the bazaar. Even though nobody bothered to tell them that Bagum means eggplant.

"We want to be considered the strongest team who's ever raced. So I really want the record of the most legs won that Rachel & Dave just set", Ryan is ambitious

For this episode production seem to have arranged taxis. Teams must first head to a marked taxi stand at Sadhar Ghat to pick up their taxi. Josh & Brent have big trouble locating this place. In the end they arrive at the taxis as Trey & Lexi reach them around 11:50.

"Okay, so we're off and sweating", musician James notes that it is hot "Next time someone says 'Go to hell', you say Oh you mean somewhere in Dhaka", Ryan does not consider Dhaka to be a paradise "Bagun? What is a Bagun", Jaymes doesn't really know what they are looking for at the market

In this episode we learn that the Chippendales have taken time to learn to say thank you in the local language.

Contestants must first build a tripod of three pieces of bamboo and some lashing rope. Then they can hang the scale from this. Once they get this approved they must fetch four stones from a pile and enough wood from another pile to equal the weight of the stones.

Some are better at building the tripod than others. Some build it too low and have to start over. Nobody have as much trouble as Brent. He gets a small detail wrong (the way one of the baskets is threaded through a hole in the crosspiece) and it takes along time until he find out what is wrong and can continue on to weight the wood.

"40 years ago, as a boy scout, we used to make tents like that", Musician James have done similar things before "I can assure that, throughout the 80's I was no boy scout", But then he lived the Rock'n'roll life

"I don't build things. I don't even know how to put up a Tipi, so I have no idea what the hell I'm doing right now", Abbie "I tie my sister together", The extent of Nadiya's rope experience

Natalie gets the title "Chill out freak", in an interview regarding Ryan. She and Ryan have a little moment while they wait for their partners to complete the road block. Ryan talks about getting his ear plugs but then starts to also shout "Twinnie". In the end Natalie teaches the local kids to cheer her partner on: Come on twinnie".

"Good job Ab, way to dominate this", Ryan encourages Abbie when she gets her tripod up "Actually Naddie is dominating Abbie", Natalie points out that Nadiya is ahead though "I mean dominating her area", Ryan tries to save the situation

"How's everybody doing today. You'll having fun watching the stupid white boys doing this? You can cheer if you want", Jaymes works the crowd of locals watching

"Right now I'm feeling so exhausted I literally can not even think straight", Brent can't figure out what he is doing wrong

The Chippendales arrive as the twins are done with this task. At the start of the leg the Chippendales were 1.5h behind the twins. So either the scale building did take that long or somebody was lucky or unlucky in the transportation to the task. It is also possible that the first teams spent some time looking for the eggplant vendor at the market.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

James* & Abba

(3-2)

2(+1)

Natalie & Nadiya*

(2-3)

3(-1)

Abbie* & Ryan

(3-3)

4(+1)

Jaymes* & James

(4-2)

5(+2)

Trey* & Lexi

(3-3)

6(-2)

Rob & Kelly*

(4-2)

7(-1)

Josh & Brent*

(3-3)

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: 'Straw Dogs' or 'BambooJungle'

Straw Dogs: Join the production lineand help in the manufacture of jutebags. First, assist in moving a load ofunprocessed jute from a riverboat tothe sorting facility. The, untangle thefiber through a process called'hackling'. Finally, deliver hackled juteto Mill No. 2 to receive the clue thatwill take you to the next Pit Stop.

Bamboo Jungle: Deliver the bambooused to build scaffolding at aconstruction site. First, collect 40pieces of bamboo in various lengthsand widths and load them onto afreight rickshaw. Then deliver yourcargo to a nearby construction site toreceive the clue that will take you tothe next Pit Stop.

Warning: The last team to check inmay be eliminated!!

The straw dogs task takes place at the Latif Bawani jute mill.

In the bamboo task teams must transport the following: 10 thick poles about 3m long 10 thin poles, about 10m long 20 thin poles about 3m long

The bamboo should be picked up from the marked racks in a the Tarabob bazaar bamboo market. The market is big and the marked racks are quite a bit away from the rickshaws. And since there are some tight corners on the way it turns out to not only be backbreaking work to carry the bamboo, but also a bit tricky to get the long poles around the corners.

The long poles continue to be unwieldy when loaded on the rickshaws. And most teams do not really check their turns so there are many locals getting hit by swinging bamboo. But nobody gets angry and the effect is actually quite humorous.

"The humidity here and the heat, it just saps the energy out of you", Abba "We've been waiting to lift heavy things", Jaymes utters some famous last words "We have it so good at home", Ryan, realize they are privileged "This factory was a 110 degrees. You know, it takes pure jute force to do this work", Ryan tries his hand at humor "I don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing", Abbie does not really understand why their heckled jute was rejected "We don't want to never run out of money, so we don't eat. We're dropping weight like crazy. So we're getting weaker by the minute", Jaymes explains why they struggle "We may be in last place, but we're not quitters", Josh & Brent arrive at the bamboo market

Jaymes & James get really tired when loading the bamboo. But when they leave the market there are still two teams loading. Unfortunately for them they have forgotten three poles amid the confusion while they were reloading their rickshaw. When they arrive at the construction site the foreman tells them to go back and pick up the missing pieces.

At this moment the Chippendales almost give up. It is hot, humid and they are completely exhausted. But after some water (production seem to provide unlimited amounts of cold water to the teams) they collect themselves and soldier on.

"We're not giving up. But this is pretty dire right here", James fears they will be eliminated "We wanted to do some heavy lifting. Problem is we forgot to use our brains while we did it", Jaymes after competing the detour

Teams doing the bamboo option get their next clue in the form of a short piece of bamboo with a picture painted on it. The jute factory team gets a piece of woven jute with the same picture.

The picture shows some colorful houses. In reality this place is called Lok Shilpa Jadughar, and is the pit stop for this leg. The place seems well known and none of the teams seem have any problem getting there.

Ryan is disappointed when he reaches the pit stop in second place because it finally dawns on him that can no longer beat Dave & Rachel's record for the most wins.

This leg was a relatively easy win for James & Abba. They had a 2 hour head start and there were no bunching points. They manage to run the entire leg without even seeing another team. The episode makes it seem like they ran a fairly clean leg without any problems. We will have to wait for the start times in the next episode to see how they did relative to the other teams.

Since there were no equalizers on leg 5 and we got all the start times for leg 5 and 6 we can figure out which teams completed the course quickest in leg 5.

Actual speed on the course:

1.

James & Abba

+0:00

2.

Trey & Lexi

+0:28

3.

Abbie & Ryan

+0:32

4.

Rob & Kelly

+0:41

5.

Jaymes & James

+1:29

6.

Natalie & Nadiya

+1:37

7.

Josh & Brent

+3:20

From this we can draw a number of conclusions:

* James & Abba did run a quick leg. They might have been helped bu the fact that traffic might have been a bit lighter at the start of the leg, but probably not all that much. All in all they are a pair of worthy winners of this leg.

* It took Jaymes & James at little more than 40 minutes to go back and pick up their missing bamboo poles (since they were 37 minutes after Trey & Lexi at the pit stop).

* Abbie & Ryan gained more than an hour on Natalie & Nadiya during the detour. Given the fact that they didn't gain on the other teams as much this is probably an indication that the twins really struggled with the bamboo (or had transportation trouble).

* The editing of the episode makes it seem as if Josh & Brent arrive at the bamboo market before Jaymes & James and Trey & Lexi leave. But at the pit stop they are almost 2 hours behind these teams. So in that case they must have really struggled with the bamboo.

Teams are released from the pit stop at Lok Shilpa Jadughar, Dhaka Bangladesh, in the following order:

1.

James & Abba

08:30

2.

Abbie & Ryan

11:04

(+2:34)

3.

Natalie & Nadiya

12:10

(+3:40)

4.

Rob & Kelly

12:31

(+4:01)

5.

Trey & Lexi

12:53

(+4:23)

6.

Jaymes & James

13:30

(+5:00)

7.

Josh & Brent

15:04

(+6:34)

Teams get $100 for this leg of the race.

Route info: Fly to Istanbul, Turkey.

Once teams arrive in Istanbul they must make their way to the Kabatas ferry terminal where they'll find their next clue. Teams seem to be directed to get their tickets at a specified travel agency, Galaxy travels.

In an interview we learn that Abba is having problems with his knees, but that is not stopping them.

"Thanks Bangladesh, it's been real. It's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun", Ryan is glad to travel on "We love the fact that Abbie & Ryan is a competitive team. But Ryan rubs everybody the wrong way. I've no animosity, but they're just too weirdo", Natalie "Let's go get a newer car", Rob is picky about the taxi at the starting line "It's a fun country and the people have been great. But we'd just gotta get out of this heat", Josh is ready to move on

Even though teams are hours apart the first teams all meet up at the travel agency. This agency seem to have just one computer which the teams can use so they all take turns researching Istanbul.

"The two most annoying teams on this race, the rockers and Twisted sisters", Ryan does not appreciate sharing the travel agency "You put those six head together and you get about 3 brain cells", Ryan have no high regards for the rockers, twins and monster truckers.

At the travel agency Nadiya finds a wad of American dollars on the floor. At this point in time they are standing next to Trey & Lexi and James & Abba have just sat down at the computer.

"Oh, whose money is this?", Nadia claims to have asked for the owner (but Natalia hushed her up) "Nadia, can we use this?", Natalia "You better give it back to them", Trey "I have a good conscience, you know when it comes to stuff like this the drive gets strong", Natalia "I could tell that Lexi had the same idea as Nadiya and I", Natalie

The money has been dropped by James & Abba. Who eventually realize they have lost it, but only after the other teams have left. They think they lost it in the cab.

"It can't happen like this", Abba blames himself "Oh, nothing has happened yet dude, we only need 100 bucks", James does not consider this the end of the race "It sucks", Abba feels ready to give up "I know, but it's not gonna stop sucking until we take care of it. So let's take care of it", James keeps his wits about

They leave to start begging for money while realizing that this may not be easy in a poor country like Bangladesh. But they are smart lads and go to the business district, where people have more money. Here they find people to be very generous generous and in no time they have $100 again.

"This is my country, you're my guest", a local "I don't have any words to express the gratitude of giving us that amount of money. It was 100 bucks", Abba is moved in the interview "Very very fantastic people here in Bangladesh", Abba as he steps in the taxi "Bangladesh good, not bad", the taxi driver sums it up

At the airport Natalie & Nadiya decide to split the money with Trey & Lexi. "Come on, lets split this money. I feel guilty", Nadiya "We decided we're gonna split the money. That way the guilt can be split up half and half. And they're christians so they'll pray for us", Nadiya

This whole episode is edited to make it look like the twins stole the money from the rockers. But there are indications that they did ask production what to do and that they were told to keep they money. I am fairly certain that we haven't been told the entire truth and it will be interesting to hear what the twins and the texans have to say after the race.

Once they land most teams jump into taxis. The exceptions are Jaymes & James and Rob & Kelly who jump onto the metro. If there is a lot of traffic then the metro is going to be faster. But at this time in the morning there isn't much traffic so the taxis are much faster. Jaymes & James learn this on the metro so they get off like scolded rats and catch a cab instead (at 07:07).

"We're not followers, we're gonna go our own way", Rob on why they do not do leave the metro

Rob & Keller persist on taking the metro. They have met locals who claimed that the metro is faster. Initially it looks like they might have made the right move. But then they have to change to a slow moving tram instead and this a lot slower than the taxis. In interviews they also state that they got detained by the police for a while when changing to the tram (for looking suspicious while running down the street).

Route info: Make your way by Taxi to Misir Carsisi and search for shop No. 14 and your next clue.

Their target now is the spice bazaar. The irony here is that teams probably passed it in their taxis on the way to the ferry terminal. But the route on the Race is not meant to make sense, it is meant to pass a number of scenic spots, and possibly sometimes to delay the races suitably much.

Teams reach the shop in the spice bazaar in the following order: 1(+1) Trey & Lexi 2(-1) James & Abba, a second after #1 3(+2) Natalie & Nadiya 4(+0) Abbie & Ryan, a second or so after #3 5(-2) Josh & Brent 6(+0) Jaymes & James 7(+0) Rob & Kelly

The clue here comes with a box of Turkish Delights.

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: 'Simit' or 'Scrub It'

Simit: Deliver the daily bread!First, as a team, stack 200Simit, a circular bread withsesame seeds, on trays at alocal bakery. Then deliver theSimit, using the traditionaltechnique, to three nearbylocations.

Scrub It: Get a deep body... purchase the.... from a shop

In simit teams must transport Turkish bagels, known as Simit, to three different addresses. They must figure out how to stack the Simit onto the trays before carrying them on their heads. The task is made easier by the fact that they have a round piece of cloth between the tray and their head, and they may use their hands to steady the tray.

In scrub it teams must first purchase their bathing items from a shop in the bazaar and then make their way to the Ayasofya Hamam. Here they will get a full Turkish Bath treatment before receiving their next clue. This task is very pleasant, if you like being massaged, but there is no way of making it go faster.

This is also where Josh & Brent encounter their speed bump.

Quote

SPEED BUMP

Find the marked Marasice cream stand near theNew Mosque, Oncethere, each youshould order a cone withat least two flavors.Once you have botheaten all of your icecream and cones, youmay continue on with theRace.

The rub is that there is an elaborate performance which the vendor go through where he fakes them getting the ice cream quite a few times before they finally giving them their cones. This is very entertaining to watch, but probably quite frustrating for the contestants who just want to get the task done.

"This is gonna be a big headache", Josh knows what Turkish ice cream is about

The task takes longer since they first go to the wrong vendor. They are toyed with, get the ice cream and eat it. But when they go back to pick up their detour clue, at 09:00, the vendor of shop No 14 just tells them that they did not pass the exam. They realize their mistake and go out and find the correct vendor. They do not look amused.

In the end they complete their speed bump and receive their Detour clue before the two last teams arrive.

"Oh my god, is this one of the 1000 things you're supposed to do before you die?", Lexi upon entering the very nice looking Hamam "We're washing off the last two legs in Bangladesh", Trey "He pulled my heart out, showed it to me while it was beating, said it was going too slow", Rocker James describes the massage (he exaggerates a bit) "Oh, it's cold", Jaymes gets splashed with water, and his facial expression is priceless

Josh & Brent have a hard time finding their first address since there is a language barrier. Josh is attempting to navigate and Brent carries the Simit. One of the locals Josh asks for help can't really answer since he is too busy laughing at the sight of Brent.

"Josh is running around like a chicken with it's head cut off", Brent is fed up with Josh's navigating

In this road block contestants must dress up as a local vendor and carry a long spouted brass teapot on their back. They must sell 40 glasses of Turkish Sherbet (the world's first soft drink). Once they have earned 40 lira (about $20) the sherbet vendor will hand them their next clue.

The teapots are cumbersome and pieces tend to fall of if not handled properly.

"Natalie, 'cause she is single, Nadiya why her sister should 'Pour her heart out' "Get your sexy on Natalie", Nadiya gets the title "I was just being loud and obnoxious, like I normally am", Lexi describes her selling tactics "I'd rather Texas get it than Abbie and Ryan", Nadiya prefers Trey & Lexi to win the leg "I actually have a very strong history in sales", Brent feels confident about the selling task "Uh oh, you see Monster truck, you see Beekman boys, you know you're at the back of the pack. You know you're fighting for last", Jaymes "I'm starting to freak out a little bit", Jaymes is really worried

Ryan is making slow progress, at least until he engages a local to help him sell (on a commission basis). After that business starts flowing.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Trey & Lexi*

(3-4)

2(+0)

Abbie & Ryan*

(3-4)

3(+0)

James & Abba*

(3-3)

4(+0)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(3-4)

5(+0)

Jaymes & James*

(4-3)

6(+0)

Josh & Brent*

(3-4)

7(+0)

Rob & Kelly*

(4-3)

Route info: Make your way by taxi to the next pit stop. The next pit stop is in a park next to the ship Savarona.

On their way to the pit stop Josh & Brent get stuck in traffic on a small street. After a while they are fed up and exit the taxi and start directing the traffic. They manage to extract their taxi and can continue on.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

Teams are released from the pit stop at Lok Shilpa Jadughar, Dhaka Bangladesh, in the following order:

1.

Trey & Lexi

12:35

2.

Abbie & Ryan

12:56

(+0:21)

3.

James & Abba

13:03

(+0:26)

4.

Natalie & Nadiya

13:44

(+1:09)

5.

Jaymes & James

13:55

(+1:20)

6.

Josh & Brent

14:07

(+1:32)

Route info: "Fly to Moscow, Russia". Teams get $420 for this leg of the race (cabs in Moscow are expensive). The clue probably also states that they have to enter Russia through the Sheremetyevo airport.

Once teams land they must make their way to the Zurab Tsereteli sculpture park where they will find their next clue.

"Our relationship is better than ever on this race. I think this is like exactly what we needed to take that next step. Hopefully there'll be a ring on my finger pretty soon... But that's his call.", Lexi makes her intentions clear "Is it?", Trey doubts he really has any say in the matter

At the airport it gets painfully obvious that Trey & Lexi haven't really traveled before. They have a hard time even finding the right airline counters. They haven't made any progress when they run into Natalie & Nadiya who help them.

We also see that the Texans are starting to ally themselves with the twins. Which distances them from Abbie & Ryan. Ryan does not have high opinions about the Texans ability to find flights on their own. But the universe is in balance because the Texans do not have high opinions about them either

"Crazy eyes, Lexi about Abbie

Josh & Brent can't decide which flight they are going to take so they flip a coin.

The second plane to land carries: Trey & Lexi Natalie & Nadiyawho flew through Munich with an 1:50 layover TK1637 IST-MUC 20:36-21:55 (took off 0:56 late and landed 0:25 late) SU2325 MUC-SVO 23:30-03:54+1

And last to arrive are: Abbie & Ryan Josh & BrentThey try to fly through Frankfurt with an 1:00 layover. Unfortunately for them their flight from Istanbul is late so they miss their connection (which would have landed at 03:12). Instead they have to go through Warsaw the next day and land at 15:02, which is 13 hours after the first team. TK1597 IST-FRA 19:25-22:28 (landed 0:53 late) LH1346 FRA-WAW 07:31-09:01 SU2001 WAW-SVO 11:10-15:02

This isn't fun anymore", Ryan does not like to be stranded in Frankfurt

in Moscow the first two teams arrive at the sculpture part in the middle of the night, it is dark, cold, raining and the park is closed. It opens at 09:30 in the morning. By that time the next two teams have arrived (around 6:00) so there are four teams present when the park opens.

"This is so Russia, dreary and dark", Nadiya "We're off to see the wizard", Abba gets the title as the mighty park gates swing open

Teams pick up their clue here in the following order: 1. James & Abba 2. Jaymes & James 3. Trey & Lexi 4. Natalie & Nadiya, a couple of seconds after #1And many hours later 5. Josh & Brent 6. Abbie & Ryan, a second after #5

Route info: "Make your way to the Moskvoretsky Most". Here teams must search for Ivan the terrible's guards, who will hand them their next clue.

Abba & James jump into a taxi while the other three teams jog over there together. As this happen Abbie & Ryan and Josh & Brent are on their flight to Warsaw. The guards stand out like sore thumbs on the bridge so they are easy to find. Teams reach them in the following order: 1(+0) James & Abba 2(+1) Trey & Lexi 3(+1) Natalie & Nadiya 4(-2) Jaymes & James, a couple of seconds after #2And many hours later 5(+1) Abbie & Ryan 6(-1) Josh & Brent, a second after #5

Alphabetized: Make your wayto the Russian State library.Once there, use the cardcatalog to locate four booksfrom the stacks. Then,present the books to the HeadLibrarian to receive your nextclue.

In 'Alphabetized' teams must visit the Russian state library (just across the Red Square). Here teams will be given a list of books (title and author). They must then locate four of these books in the index cards and note their positions. They will then be lead to the storage room where the books are where they will have to find them. The catch is that everything is written in Cyrillic, and the library holds 25 million books.

In 'Synchronized' teams must train with the next generation of the Russian synchronized swimming team. They must learn a routine. Once they have successfully performed it in time with the music they will receive their next clue.

"It just seems as if the Russian alphabet can be really confusing", Jaymes "Nobody wants to give us a ride in Russia. I swear man, it's because we're brown", Natalie & Nadiya have a hard time finding a taxi

"What do we have to put on our head? Floral swimming caps", Jaymes on the swimming outfit

"How's it going?", Lexi encounter James & Abba in the library "Run for your lives", Abba is not doing well

"We're looking at shapes basically", Trey finds the looking hard "My gosh, what a maze", Lexi is lead through the library to where the book are "We did it dude, we did not give up on ourselves", Lexi when they have completed the alphabet detour

The Chippendales tried to wear their bow ties during swimming, but that was not allowed. Initially they thought the task was going to be simple, but they soon had to revise their expectations. They get to perform the routine many times, and we get a montage where their errors are pointed out.

The point which totally, IMHO, makes this task is the reaction of the locals. The teams of girls performing with the contestants can't help laughing out loud at the ineptness of some of the teams.

Nadiya & Natalie loose almost an hour on their taxi problems. But Jaymes & James are still working on their routine as the girls arrive at the swimming hall. The girls debate whether to use the express pass or not. They know two teams are way behind, but the express pass can not be used after leg 8 so they have to use it soon.

"Not a lick of English. At that point we realized we're screwed", Nadiya realizes the picked the wrong instructor "Dude, let's Express Pass", Natalie & Nadiya consider using the express pass "Don't waste it", Jaymes does his best to persuade them to not use it "At this point we feel like losers for trying to quit", guilt makes the twins continue the challenge

Abba & James have a hard time at the library, so hard that they decide to go swimming instead. After being driven to the wrong place they finally arrive, after the previous two teams are done.

"I'm already afraid", The judge gets her first look at James & Abba "Ohh, rough day in the old pool today man", James after his first rejection "We did it probably about 10-20 times", James & Abba had a really rough day

As the first four teams wrestle with their detours the straggling two teams wait for their last flight in Warsaw. The mood is grim. Eventually they make a pact to run this leg together as one unit (I assume until the Phil tears them apart).

When the last two teams finally make it to the guards they initially decide on doing the Alphabetized. Until Ryan reads the additional information and note that the library closes at 16.00, so they have to go swimming.

"Because I'm a dance instructor, I wasn't too nervous about synchronized swimming", Abbie "Ha, ha, ha", The judge can't contain herself when she sees Josh jumping/falling into the water "I think it's fairly evident that I have no background in swimming", Josh "I don't think I have the swimming skills to do that", Josh doubts he can complete the detour "He wasn't even swimming, he's like a buoy", The judge on Josh's first attempt "We're goat farmers, not synchronized swimmers", Brent

Abbie & Ryan seem to get approved on their first try. And now their pact is going to be put to the test since Josh & Brent have a long way to go before they can complete this task. Unfortunately we do not get to see how that turns out since the episode ends before we get to see any more from the last teams.

Some spoilers say that swimmers had to spend 14 hours in the hall that day.

Travel by taxi to theLuzhkov Most andsearch for the "Trees ofLove" to find your nextclue.

The next clue can be found on a chest full of padlocks.

"Girls, we're going to the tree of love. Who's going to join us?", Rocker James to the swimming team

Teams reach the trees of love in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi 2(+0) Jaymes & James, before Trey has opened any of his locks 3(+0) Natalie & Nadiya, after #1 has left but the Chippendalers are still at it 4(+0) James & Abba, after the teams before have left ?(+?) Abbie & Ryan ?(+?) Josh & Brent

Road block: "Who's ready to unlock the future?". The trees of love are full of padlocks symbolizing eternal love. In fact there seems to be a number of bridal couples passing through the area while teams perform the road block.

The task is to unlock all ten padlocks which locks a race ribbon to one of the trees. Teams are given a big ring of keys (about 100 keys) to try, and the locks they open in turn hold more keys. Once they have opened all locks they can find their next clue inside the ribbon.

"Looks like everybody is about to go to a wedding, which is kind of funny. One wedding, two wedding, three wedding, uhooo", Lexi "Don't you get any ideas girl", Trey does not like her direction of thought

"Naddie, shut up", Natalie does not want any encouragement "You're the worst partner ever too", The twins are tired and cold

In the end the twins put a padlock of their own in the tree. "And all of Russia will know that there was a fool from Sri Lanka who came here", Nadiya "We fight like a married couple, we make up like little kids, so it's a perfect relationship", Natalie on their mood swings

When Abba starts this task he realizes that it's going to take a while, so they decide to get their bags and release their taxi. But their taxi isn't there anymore. "Our driver just took off with our bags, and we're done. Which point I take these and thrown them in the water", Abba wants to throw the roadblock keys into the river "Oh well, we're not gonna quit", Abba gets on with the task "Don't leave your bags in cabs kids", Words of wisdom from James

"We've just gotta cut this loss man. It just happened, nothing we can do about it. You got your passport?", James wants to move on "Eh, no I do not", but Abba lacks a crucial document

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(4-4)

After 14:10

2(+0)

Jaymes & James*

(4-4)

After 14:53

3(+0)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(4-4)

4(+0)

James & Abba*

(3-4)

?(+?)

Abbie & Ryan

(3-4)

?(+?)

Josh & Brent

(3-4)

The clue in the ribbon is a small metal capsule with a 100 Rubel note inside. Teams must now figure out they need to go to the building depicted on it, the Bolshoi Theater. This is the pit stop for this leg.

"Where's he going? That back alley to slit our throats and kill us. That'd be a fitting end of today", Abba is not really in a positive mood

Teams reach Phil in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi, win a trip to Maui 2(+0) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Natalie & Nadiya - James & Abba, but are sent back again since Abba has lost is passport

Natalie & Nadiya are not happy about their performance during this leg. "We were horrible today", Natalie & NadiyaBut they know that they still have the express pass, and this is the longest anybody has ever managed to hold onto it.

The episode ends with a "To be continued". At this point the first three teams have checked in. James & Abba are searching for the missing passport, Abbie & Ryan are waiting for Josh & Brent at the detour. The last two teams are probably around 7 hours behind the leaders.

As this episode begins we still have three teams out on the course trying to complete the previous leg. James & Abba are looking for their stolen passport and know that it will take a miracle to keep them in the race. They talk to the police, the embassy and everybody they can think of.

At the Trud sports complex Josh & Brent are trying to complete the synchronized swimming task. Eventually they are told that the pool is closing so they have one more chance.

"I'm sorry, no", the judge fails the goat farmers

Josh & Brent get the next clue anyway, but with it comes a four hour penalty. Abbie & Ryan stayed true to their word and waited for the goat farmers and they all make their way to the trees of love.

"There's nothing that fits", Abbie gets flustered while looking for the right keys

Abbie seems to fall through completely on her last lock. She is sitting on the ground looking defeated when Josh comes over and helps her.

"Most time you're on the race you don't help other people finish their tasks. And in a road block when your partner can't help you, you can feel really alone.", Josh felt good helping Abbie

Josh also felt that Abbie & Ryan had helped them along so he wanted to pay back.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(4-4)

Shown previous episode

2(+0)

Jaymes & James*

(4-4)

Shown previous episode

3(+0)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(4-4)

Shown previous episode

4(+0)

James & Abba*

(3-4)

Shown previous episode

5(+1)

Josh* & Brent

(4-4)

6(-1)

Abbie* & Ryan

(4-4)

The last teams checks in with Phil, after dark, in the following order: 4(+2) Abbie & Ryan 5(+0) Josh & Brent 6(-2) James & Abba, are saved by a non elimination

"I have some good news. There still a team out there struggling on the course", Phil breaks the news to the two straggling teams "You're telling us we have another shot?", James with hope in his eyes

Josh & Brent get a 4 hour penalty which will be assessed at the start of the next leg.

This whole pit stop situation feels very improvised. Why where James & Abba first turned away, but then allowed to check in? And why did Josh & Brent get their penalty postponed until the morning? I would have expected production to let James & Abba check in and hit Josh & Brent with the penalty immediately so they would be last and get the speed bump. I assume the reason production did what they did is that they knew that the Rockers are doomed anyway, and that Phil needed to move on.

The next morning teams are released from the pit stop at the Bolshoi theater, in the following order:

1.

Trey & Lexi

~07:00

2.

Jaymes & James

~07:30

3.

Natalie & Nadiya

~08:30

4.

Abbie & Ryan

~14:00

5.

Josh & Brent

~18:00

6.

James & Abba

~18:05

No departure times are given. Probably to mask the fact that the distance between the teams is so great that it is only the first 3 teams who can even change positions, unless a miracle happens. The times given above are guesses based on a tweet from Ryan.

Route info: "Make your way to the study building no 6 at the Moscow agricultural academy". Once there teams must follow the marked path to an auditorium where they will find their next clue inside a bag.

Trey & Lexi have no luck with their taxis. Their first driver drops them off at what Lexi thinks is the worst part of town (I think she lacks experience). The second driver is an older gentleman who looks like a clown and smokes constantly. He has trouble understanding them so after a while he stops at a hotel where they can translate. Finally he realized where they want to go an drives them there.

"Our game plan is gonna stay the same. Keep having a good time, keep being friends with people and just stay at the top", Jaymes

"I know where it is. I taxi thirty-seven years", The twin's driver wants them to, justifiably as it turns out, trust him

"We're starting the next leg again as we've started a lot of legs. Josh & Brent against the world", Josh is used to not see any other teams

The first three teams run the entire leg in a rainy or wet Moscow. But by the time Abbie & Ryan start the sun is up and everything is dry. This probably means that the first three teams reached the pit stop before Abbie & Ryan even started.

"If this has anything to do with numbers or science, then this is my guy today", Abbie has faith in Ryan since they are going to a university

James & Abba start the leg by trying to resolve their passport situation. They call the embassy again, they visit police stations. Along the way they encounter many helpful locals. Once they have done all they feel they can they go back to the race and make their way to the auditorium.

Here James & Abba find their speed bump. In the episode we only get a few glimpses of it. But apparently they had to get a priest to a local church by directing a limousine. The church was surrounded by one-way streets and they were not allowed to ask anybody for help.

The other teams all go for the clue in the bag.

Road block: "Who's in the zone?"

The extended information reads:

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

So far, you've traveled16.650 miles andcrossed 13 time zones!Time to test yourknowledge of how timechanges as you travel.

Using the time inMoscow as a reference,compute the correct localtime of five cities inRussia - a country withnone different time zones.

In this road block teams will first be shown a map of the nine different Russian time zones, with their offset from UTC. Then a local Moscow time. Finally a map with seven Russian cities. They must calculate the times in at least five of them, before the time is up, to get their next clue. Each round seems to last around one minute.

The error most teams do, all except Brent in fact, is that they forget to take in account the fact that the given Moscow time is given as local time but the map offsets are from UTC. So the time in Tiksi (UTC+10) is six hours ahead of Moscow (UTC+4) not ten.

Jaymes and Lexi work together.

"Puuuut the pencils doooooown", the professor gets to say this a lot "Oh my gosh, we're idiots", Lexi realizes what they have done wrong

"At this roadblock both of was like 'Hell no', We would have been so screwed", Natalie & Nadiya use their express pass

Ryan is full of confidence as he starts the task. "Puzzles and brain games are kind of my strong point", RyanHe is so sure of himself that he starts packing his things before the professor even looks at his paper. "It's not correct", The professor shatters his fantasy "I was right", Ryan does not see what he did wrongHere follows a montage of failed attempts. Ryan is getting more and more baffled and it does not look like he find this to be fun anymore. Eventually Abbie, who is under a lot less pressure, realizes what the trick is. But she can not tell Ryan. "My mind like short circuited. It didn't click, and it actually got so frustrating to the point that I thought there's a glitch in the matrix", Ryan "Try to relax, I'm on your side", The professor helps as much as he can "Ohhh, OHHHHH, Arghhhh, Arrrghhhh I'm so stupid", Finally Ryan gets it

"This was my element. I was at home", Brent felt confident going into the road block "I'm realllly sorry, but you win", The professor

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Trey & Lexi*

(4-5)

At 08:25, on her 12th attempt

2(-1)

Jaymes* & James

(5-4)

At 08:25, on his 12th attempt

3(+0)

Natalie & Nadiya

(4-4)

Used the express pass

4(+0)

Abbie & Ryan*

(4-5)

On his 25th attempt

5(+0)

Josh & Brent*

(4-5)

On his 1st attempt!

6(+0)

James & Abba

(3-4)

Not shown

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: 'Movers' or'Shakers'

Movers: Learn andperform three movesfrom the famous RussianSoldier's Dance.

Shakers: Identify theseven famous Russianleaders at a cocktailparty.

Movers requires teams to learn and perform a Russian soldier dance. The routine they have to perform is, according to Phil, punishing. It takes place in the Petrovsky room at Hotel National.

Shakers takes place at a cocktail party where teams must count how many historical lookalikes of each leader they can find. The present crowd is: 3x Leon Trotsky 6x Tsar Nicholas II 5x Leonid Brezhnev 5x Peter the Great 7x Vladimir Lenin 2x Josef Stalin 4x Catherine the GreatTeams are given a list of names but must count how many of each there is. One strange fact is that the list of names also includes: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Sergei RachmaninovThese composers are probably just included to confuse the participants.

Jaymes & James first have to extract their driver from the local coffee shop. He doesn't look hurried at all. "We're in a race and he's having a lil' breakfast", Jaymes

But they are better off than Trey & Lexi who have released their taxi and now have to find a new one. Jaymes & James tell their driver to pull over and call one for them. "You should go", Lexi (and Trey) wants them to race on "We owe you, we're gonna make sure that's your cab knows where you's going or that he follows us", Jaymes won't leave

At the dance location it becomes painfully obvious that James is having problems with his ankle. It seems to hurt a lot and he starts sweating profusely. "James sprained his ankle in Shanghai forever ago', JaymesThey decide to cut the training short and just try the dance. Unfortunately for them the judge is not satisfied. Apart from the fancy kicks and footwork their performance looked really sharp, you can tell that they are performers.

Trey & Lexi also make a quick attempt, but they suck at it and have to go back.

Natalie & Nadiya arrive at the dance location as Trey & Lexi are waiting for a taxi. Later, when they dance, Natalie has a slight wardrobe malfunction insofar her pants rips open. A lot of people in the room have a very hard time keeping a straight face when this happens. She gets to change into a new pair before they continue.

The goat farmers are the only ones going for the shakers detour. It turns out they can talk to the guests and at least verify that they are who they think they are. "Be careful with vodka and Russian women", words of advice from 'Lenin' "Mr Great, meet Mr Stalin", Brent can't resist enjoying himself a bitThe task itself is fairly simple and they complete it without problem.

Teams complete the detour in the following order: 1(+1) Jaymes & James, movers, on their second shown attempt 2(-1) Trey & Lexi, movers, a minute or so after #1, on their second shown attempt 3(+0) Natalie & Nadiya, movers, on their first shown attempt 4(+0) Abbie & Ryan, movers, on their first shown attempt 5(+0) Josh & Brent, shakers

The Sokolniki Park is an expansive forested fairground. The pit stop is at a public performance pavilion in this park.

"Can you call one more cab", Jaymes wants to make their taxi call one for Trey & Lexi as well "Guys, we can't help each other if you run off", But when Jaymes looks up Try & Lexi have run off to get a taxi on their own

"It's been an amazing experience. I'm glad I got to run it with my friend James. It's a little bitter today but hopefully the aftertaste will disappear", Abba

In interviews after the race we learn that James & Abba were sent directly to the pit stop after the road block. It then took them six days to get a new passport and an exit visa. But it is not lost, after all they got a six days all expenses paid visit to Moscow:)

According to Phil teams start the 9th leg in Sokolniki park in the outskirts of Moscow. In reality teams are released next to the Swissotel. Teams are released in the following order:

1.

Jaymes & James

19:32

2.

Trey & Lexi

19:49

(+0:17)

3.

Natalie & Nadiya

21:15

(+1:43)

4.

Abbie & Ryan

05:28

(+9:46[)/td]

5.

Josh & Brent

08:11

(+12:39)

The envelope contains a small flag and a route info: "Make your way to the capital of this country". Once teams land they should make their way by rail to the central station and look for their next clue. The clue probably also warns about an upcoming U-turn.

The flag is a Dutch flag. But not all teams know this. The Chippendales look it up on the net. Try & Lexi ask the bellboy, who thinks it is France. Luckily for them they run into Jaymes & James at the airport. The twins thinks it is France, but check on the net. Abbie and the goat farmers all know it is a Dutch flag.

Although at least Abbie cheated a bit because their hotel was next to the starting line so they could see the flags of the earlier teams from their room. And had a world map they could check it on.

"We're coming. I don't know where we're going, but we're coming", Jaymes know they are going somewhere "Oh my god, we're going to Paris. Holy cow", Lexi looks forward to Paris "Oh my god, we're such fools", The twins find out on the net that they are going to Holland, not France

At the airport it turns out that there are lots of flights but few seats. Jaymes & James would have preferred to run with Trey & Lexi, but select the quicker flight where only one team can get tickets instead.

Initially the agent refuses to sell the tickets Natalie & Nadiya wants to buy since the layover time in Rome is only 1h. But they insist and are finally allowed to buy that ticket.

At the airport the first three teams, Jaymes & James, Trey & Lexi and the twins discuss the upcoming U-turn. The twins have a plan and get the other teams to agree with it. The first teams to arrive at the U-turn should U-turn Abbie & Ryan. The next teams should U-turn the first. This will deny Abbie & Ryan the chance to U-turn somebody else.

Abbie & Ryan book a flight through Frankfurt. But they have a short connection and bad experiences of Frankfurt (they missed their flight in leg 7). But this time there are more flights to Amsterdam, so they also book tickets on the next flight from Frankfurt as a backup. "Oh my god, Frankfurt! I'm not doing that again" Abbie "Once we get into Frankfurt we're gold", Ryan (and Abbie makes a face)

Abbie & Ryan fly via Frankfurt SU2306 SVO-FRA 09:26-10:41 (0:11 late)Here they arrive too late for their connection, which should have landed at 12:45 WA1766 FRA-AMS 11:21-12:39 (started 0:09 early)Instead they went with their alternative, which should have landed at 14:05. But the plane had mechanical troubles so they had to change to another plane LH992 FRA-AMS 14:34-15:58 (1:53 late)

"I was frustrated three legs ago", Ryan looks like he has given up as they change plane in Frankfurt

As Josh & Brent arrive to customs they find Abbie & Ryan here waiting on their camera guy to complete the formalities. "I'm over it, she's over it", Ryan has no fighting spirit left "Now hang in there, you still got us behind you", Brent tries to cheer them up

Take a bus tour ofAmsterdam and have aquick bite! Find themarked bus next to theVan Gogh Cafe on PrinsHendrikkade.

Any Team that makesthe bus can compete forthe Fast Forward.

The bus is actually a floating bus and part of the tour takes place on the canals. While on the water teams have 7 minutes to each eat 5 herrings. The first team to finish their fish within the allowed time will get the fast forward. If teams fail the bus will go back to the cafe and wait 10 minutes before they can try again.

The twins go for the fast forward, and the episode is edited to make it look like they succeed on their first try. But in reality they managed it on their third attempt. They are directed to make their way directly to the pit stop. As they exit the bus they meet Jaymes & James who also wanted to go for the Fast Forward. "I'd eat poo for a fast forward", The twins before seeing the herrings "I take a bit and it is so disgusting, But the herring was a border case "Let me give you a fishy kiss, Nadiya gets the title (to the judge) "I feel good but I feel gross at the same time, and fishy", The twins feel fishy

The other teams go for the route info:

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Travel by boat to MagereBrug and look for thePoffertjesboot to receiveyour next clue.

The clue also tells them to travel by foot to Heeringmarketed where they will find the marked boats. The boat ride looks kind of relaxing and teams seem to enjoy themselves. At least the first teams, for the last two teams the ride turns less idyllic when the wind picks up and the rain starts pouring down.

"They're brothers form another mother. These guys are life savers. Cause we've been so down in the dumps", Ryan is back on track now again thanks to the Beekman boys "Once again our day has gone bad to worse", Ryan when the weather changes

The Poffertjesboot turns out to be a boat which serves some sort of food. Teams get a plate each together with their clue. They reach it in the following order: 2(+0) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Trey & Lexi 4(+0) Abbie & Ryan 5(+0) Josh & Brent

"Holy cow, that was so delicious", Lexi about the food

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: 'Back In Time' or 'OrganGrind'

Back In Time: "Paint" amasterpiece! Using costumedextras, a selection of props, andyourselves, create a livingdiorama of Rembrandt'spainting 'The Night Watch' toreceive your next clue.

Organ Grind: Become streetperformers! Play a Dutch streetorgan and entertain the peopleof Amsterdam. If you earn 30Euros in tips, you will receiveyour next clue.

Note: For both detours youMUST travel on foot.

Caution: U-Turn ahead!

In back in time teams can walk back and forth between the area where they are setting up the diorama and the painting to look at details. There are also multiple sets of extras so more than one team can work on the task at any one time. The judge is a guy dressed up as Rembrandt.

in organ to grind teams must find any of three big street organs placed on three different bridges. One team member must operate the organ while the other collects the tips.

"That's not good", Abbie learns about the U-turn from the clue

The Chippendales do the Organ side. After a while the crowd thins out, and they still had a lot of tips to earn. So they take off their shirts, bring out the Chippendale cuffs and collars and make a spectacle out of it. "I only bite you a little", Jaymes tries to attract the crowd "There we are in our cuffs and collars. And up comes your typical grandma with her three grand kids. The lady was just like, here you go 10 euros", Jaymes hit the jackpot

Route info: "Make your way on foot to the Museum Geelvinck. Once there search the gardens for your next clue". In these gardens teams find a double U-turn and their next clue. They arrive here in the following order: 1(+0) Jaymes & James, U-turns Abbie & Ryan 2(+0) Trey & Lexi, U-turns Jaymes & James 3(+0) Abbie & Ryan, together with #4 4(+0) Josh & Brent

Jaymes looks like he is having a hard time making up his mind at the U-turn board. Should they U-turn Abbie & Ryan or not? He agonizes a bit but in the end they go for the U-turn. And strategically this feels like the right decision. Ryan & Abbie is a strong team and eliminating them opens the field for the other teams. "We talked about this long and hard. I don't want to play dirty, I don't want to play mean", Jaymes "We're gonna loose a friend if we do this", Jaymes "Abbie & Ryan are the strongest team here. And if we're gonna bring the million dollars home to our families, we can't have Abbie & Ryan", Jaymes on why he did it

"Jaymes & James stuck to the plan, all is good", Lexi after using up the second U-turn "Abbie & Ryan are going to be so pissed, and that puts smiles on our faces", Trey

Abbie & Ryan arrive at the U-turn board just before Josh & Brent. They are very surprised to see that it was Jaymes & James who U-turned them. "We're done, we're done", Abbie when she realizes what has happened "But these guys? I was blown away", Abbie did not expect to be U-turned by the Chippendales "We were just gonna have you guys U-turn us and then we would do the thing together", Brent

Josh seriously wants to stay and help Abbie & Ryan, but Brent points out that this would mean that they get eliminated. He doubts Abbie & Ryan would let them step on the mat first and if they step on together then Abbie & Ryan will keep racing thanks to better placement in the previous leg (we learn from Ryan later).

Abbie & Ryan have to go back and do the organ detour. The problem is that it is raining and the streets are completely empty. But they keep at it and eventually the rain lets up and people start to appear. In the end Abbie encounter Pam, an American woman who wants to dance a bit. "Please, I'll dance for you", Abbie to the empty streets "I'm gonna make it so you're done", Pam bring Abbie to tears, and gets a long hug "We've had a horrid day", Abbie sums it up

Route info: "Travel by bus to the village of Ransdorp. Once there search the marked field for your next clue". The additional information states that "After 6pm you may take a taxi" (there are probably no more buses by then).

"This speaks volumes about them how they establish relationships and friendships and then stabs you in the back", Ryan is really disappointed in the Chippendales

"Oh, it's the vaulting thing. They did that before", Jaymes recognizes this task

The clue box in the field reads:

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who's ready to jumpback in time and make alast ditch effort?

This is a switchback from season 12 where teams did the same road block. The performing team member must pole vault over a muddy ditch. Pick up a pair of wooden shoes and then jump back again.

"Easy", Phil gives his opinion on the pole vaulting, but he doesn't do it himself "All you need is courage", An instructor to James "Hurry, I'm cold", Lexi wants Trey to hurry up "I hurt my ankle", Josh stumbles on the field

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Jaymes & James*

(5-5)

Succeeds on hist first attempt

2(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(4-5)

Succeeds on hist first attemp

3(+1)

Josh* & Brent

(5-5)

Succeeds on hist first attempt

4(+0)

Abbie & Ryan*

(4-6)

The next clue is printed on the wooden shoe:

Quote

Behind the church in Ransdorpis the house rumored to be that ofRembrandt's mistress.

"All the clothes we've wanted", Natalia translates the price in to tangible terms "I do think they're the strongest team. I just hope we don't loose a friend", Jaymes have mixed emotions about the U-turn "I already sent my parents a card saying that we're coming back with a million dollars. And I sent it to arrive while we're gone. So I have to be a man of my word, and I'm sorry but my parents are more important than Abbie & Ryan", Jaymes

"I don't know what to say. I'm speechless. You never get a chance like this, it's not only once in a lifetime. It's once in a hundred lifetimes", Ryan

It was heart wrenching to see Abbie & Ryan in this episode. They had extremely bad luck with their flights and with the U-turn they seemed to be completely drained. It was mainly the flights which did them in. If they had made the first flight connection then they would have arrived before Trey & Lexi so they would have been able to U-turn another team. And if their second flight had not broken down they would have had a 2h head start on Josh & Brent, which would have been enough time to complete both detours and still survive. But luck was not on their side today.

Teams depart from the pit stop behind the church in Ransdorp in the following order:

1.

Natalie & Nadiya

02:55

2.

Jaymes & James

05:57

(+3:02)

3.

Trey & Lexi

06:38

(+3:43)

4.

Josh & Brent

09:38

(+6:43)

Route info: "Make your way to the island of Mallorca, Spain". Teams must first fly to Barcelona and then catch a overnight ferry from there to Mallorca. Once in Mallorca they must make their way to a place where they will encounter a group of devils and demons playing with fire. One of them holds their next clue.

"We've had good luck, we've bad luck, we've had dumb luck", Brent on why they are still in it "It's so hard to find a fun experience when you know you are either in last or second to last. It's so difficult to not see any other people racing.", Josh on the stress of being behind

It seems as if production has arranged taxis to be waiting for the teams (or else the taxi availability in the tiny village of Ransdorp at night is amazing).

At the airport we learn that Josh injured his foot in the last leg. "Can you practice your Lamaze breathing? Breathe through the pain?", Brent "I'm not pregnant", Josh

There are many flights to Barcelona so teams end up on four different planes:

Natalie & Nadiya on: HV5131 AMS-BCN 06:04-08:10

Jaymes & James on: VY8313 AMS-BCN 07:24-09:34

Trey & Lexi on: KL1665 AMS-BCN 07:55-10:15

Josh & Brent on: HV5135 AMS-BCN 12:32-14:32

The twins arrive at the ferry terminal at 9 in the morning. It's closed. When they return at 10 they meet Jaymes & James and learn that the ferry leaves at 23:00.

"Barcelona, what a great city to get stuck in", Jaymes doesn't seem to mind the wait

The first three teams seem to have bonded quite a bit because there is a lot of shouts of joy and hugging when they run into each other in Barcelona. Since they have twelve hours to kill they decide to hit the beach and go swimming. "One of the best days on the race, ever", Jaymes appreciates the day off

In the evening the three teams go back to the ferry terminal. Some of them are more anxious than the others to find out who the fourth team is going to be. They are all very happy to see that it is Josh & Brent. "We're happy that the strategy with the U-turn worked, and we ended up actually sending a strong team home", James is happy "After being behind for so many legs in this race, It's just so great to be with the other teams, finally",Josh

The next morning teams arrive in Palma de Mallorca and jump into taxis. They all make their way to the devils, all except Josh & Brent who end up being driven to the wrong place.

"These devils were like scary", Lexi "I felt like I was in a horror movie or something", Lexi

Teams find the clue at the devils in the following order: 1. Trey & Lexi 2. Natalie & Nadiya 3. Jaymes & James, not long after #1 4. Josh & Brent, after the previous teams have left

"Nadiya, stick, you're driving", Nadiya is in charge of stick drivingThe first three teams decide to stay together to not get lost. But Nadiya has hard time driving a manually shifted car so they immediately fall behind. "Should have taken extra driving lessons", Natalie "I took one class and then you know, this seems easy enough. But definitely wasn't prepared", Nadiya

"My foot is feeling much much better", Josh feels better today

Teams reach the centro in the following order: 1(+1) Jaymes & James 2(-1) Trey & Lexi, a second after #1 3(+1) Josh & Brent, as Jaymes & James leave 4(-1) Natalie & Nadiya, before Josh & Brent are done

Road block: "Who wants to get smashed?"

In this road block teams get a chance to test their skills on Rafael Nadal's home court. Players must face a high power tennis machine and successfully return 20 balls, within the bounds, before the machine runs out of balls. If they fail they can try again as soon as all the balls have been collected.

"I happen to play tennis so it was a great choice for us", Trey "We look over at Trey, and apparently, when you wear the Andre Agassi look headband you play like Andre Agassi", Jaymes is impressed of Trey's tennis skills "I'm not even close", James on his first try "I'm not a well rounded athlete, if you haven't noticed", James gets the title "Neither of us have played tennis in like the last 25 years", Brent has an excuse

Josh foolishly took this roadblock. He was soon reminded that his ankle is not completely healed. After two failed attempts he just sits down and try to gather some new energies. "They're probably gonna power past", Josh see the twins arrive "Am I left handed or right handed?", Nadiya does not give the impression of being a seasoned tennis player "You got to run a little bit man, its' not a one spot game. It's not bloody badminton", Natalie coaches her sister "This is really tiring, hot sun, sprained ankle, 43 years, It's not easy. But I can either keep hitting those balls or I can drop", Josh surveys his alternatives "She's holding her racket really weird. Like a cricket bat", Natalie about her sister

We learn that the twin's mother had tennis ambitions for them when they were small. But they weren't interested and skipped the lessons every week.

"I feel like I just won the Olympics", Josh has just succeeded returning 20 tennis balls

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Trey* & Lexi

(6-5)

Succeeds on his first shown attempt

2(-1)

Jaymes & James*

(5-6)

Succeeds on his second shown attempt

3(+0)

Josh* & Brent

(6-5)

Succeeds on his third shown attempt

4(+0)

Natalie & Nadiya*

(4-5)

Succeeds on her second shown attempt, less than a minute after #3

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Drive to the town ofCampanet and find theCoves de Campanet.Once there, enter thecaves and follow themusic to your next clue.

The music in the caves is provided by two guitar players.

"Do you guys know where you're going?", Natalie asks Josh & Brent "He has a map! How did they have a bloody map? I don't know, they're stupid prepared, they're gay", the twins feel inferior to Josh & Brent

"Jaymes & James showed up and we were like, lets just do this together", Lexi met Jaymes & James at the parking lot by the caves "This is awesome guys, this is like nature right here", Jaymes seem to be a city boy

"Aughhhh we suck, everybody is like hours ahead of us", Natalie is not happy with their driving

Teams find the clue in the caves in the following order: 1(+1) Jaymes & James 2(-1) Trey & Lexi, a second after #1 3(+0) Josh & Brent 4(+0) Natalie & Nadiya

Bull It: Be the bull!Complete an obstaclecourse of real Matadorswhile dressed as a bull.If you complete thecourse in the allottedtime, the Picador willhand you your next clue.

In spin it teams must attach two blades to a windmill on top of a small tower. It is not that high and the task seems fairly straightforward.

In bull it teams dress up as a bull. The front person can not see straight ahead so the back person, whose head sticks up out of the costume, will have to instruct the front end how to turn. They must circle around 8 matadors and finally hit a bulls eye. They have two minutes to complete the course.

Jaymes & James and Trey & Lexi decide to work together, but get separated at a roundabout where they make different choices. "I think those boys are gonna have trouble since they went the other way", Trey has faith in their navigation skills

Jaymes & James are indeed going in the wrong direction, but luckily for them they stumble upon the spin it detour location so they quickly decide to do this task instead (Around 11:08). "Looks, what's that yellow and red on there", Jaymes has good eyes "Looks like big giant ceiling fan. It can't be that hard", Jaymes spots the windmills and utters the famous last words "Working at Chippendales we may have seen a construction outfit a time or two", Jaymes at least know how to wear the provided equipment "Yeah, I may have swung , you know, a Styrofoam hammer here and there", James also has extensive experience at looking the part "We got this so easy, are you kidding me?", Jaymes find the task surprisingly easy "This is some man work right here", James tightens a bolt

Meanwhile Trey & Lexi arrive at Plaza de Toros la Monumental where the bull it detour takes place. Here they find the task as well as a small band which provides some local flavor. Lexi takes the front position so Trey will have to navigate. Rounding the matadors goes without problem but instead of hitting the bulls eye they ram the entire stand where it sits. They fall over and Lexi hurts her finger. They had 43 seconds left on the timer at this point. "It's gotta be something with the nail. It's almost blue", Lexi has hurt a finger

On their second try Trey gets to play the head, and this time they succeed (with 45 seconds to spare) "Straight, nose to the right, left I mean", Lexi gives crystal clear directions (as did Trey)

Natalie & Nadiya arrive at the windmills as Josh & Brent are suiting up for the task. "I didn't want to run over people", Nadiya on why she ignores her sister's driving directions "Whatever competitive drive that I have really did kick in when the twins pulled up", Josh gets inspired

"We have to do this rapidamento", the twins have taken Spanish lessons "No, rapidamente", so they can quibble over grammar

"This is just like repairing a tractor", Josh finds the task easy

"Yeah, after you hit me you say 'watch out', fool", Natalie when her sister drops a tool and eventually says 'watch out' "Oh my god Nadia, stop joking around", Natalie doesn't like that her sister monkeys around

"That was teamwork, I guess the two of us are better than each one separate", Brent after they have completed the task "That's why we've been together for 14 years", Josh

"Gays are done", Natalie gets stressed when she sees that Josh & Brent are leaving "Oh my god, we're so last place", the twins are not having a good day "We suck", But the twins blames nobody but themselves "What makes it worse is that it was mo master plan against us, nobody was plotting against us, we just did this all by ourselves to ourselves", Nadiya

This time the greeter is a performer without a head. That is a person dressed up as she was a lot longer than she is so no head is visible (but the voice sounds female). The effect is eerie. Teams reach the mat in the following order: 1(+1) Trey & Lexi, win a trip to the Riviera Maya 2(-1) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Josh & Brent 4(+0) Natalie & Nadiya, are saved by a non-elimination

"This guy ain't got no head", James "I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who is more motivated or driven. I mean when you have the health of your loved ones on the line", James on why they are so motivated "Couldn't drive stick shift, couldn't get directions, couldn't screw nuts and bolts in", Nadiya on what went wrong "SO we just have to put our game face on, make sure we're making smart decisions and hope there is no bloody driving cause then we'd be screwed", Natalie on their plan for the next leg

The episode starts as last episodes tend to do with a look back at the season and a presentation of the final four teams.

The Chippendales Jaymes & James, struggled in beginning but came back with a positive attitude. And they are motivated by their family situation.

Goat farmers Josh & Brent, are the contestants with nine lives. They have narrowly escaped elimination many times and never won a leg.

Dating couple Trey & Lexi, started without any travel experience but got stronger as the race progressed.

The twins Natalie & Nadiya, race loud and proud.

Teams depart from the castle Belver in Palma in the following order:

1.

Trey & Lexi

09:32

2.

Jaymes & James

09:46

(+0:14)

3.

Josh & Brent

10:27

(+0:55)

4.

Natalie & Nadiya

11:14

(+1:42

Route info: "Make your way to the garden of France, the Loire valley". Teams must now fly back to Barcelona and from there travel by train to St Pierre de Corps in the Loire Valley, France. When they arrive they will find their next clue on a brand new car, provided by a race sponsor.

"I know we can rely on Trey & Lexi and Jaymes & James to help us", the twins wants help to overcome their speed bump

Teams seem to fly on different flights to Barcelona. At least one team seems to fly: VY3995 PMI-BCN 13:40-14:29

From Barcelona teams travel by a night train to Paris. All teams travel on the same train. One the train the twins gather their allies to make a plan. "The Beekmans, they're here taking up a spot, and we want it way more than them.", the twins wants the other to help them get ahead of Josh & Brent. "Just remember, six heads are better than two so you'll be fine", James reassures "What's going on? Why did we get quiet all of a sudden", Jaymes eventually realize that the goat farmers have turned up

The Beekmans overhear this gathering, but when they happen to make themselves known Jaymes invites them over. It seems like he wants to include them in the group. "We had a real sort of mental decision point when we overheard that there actually was an official alliance that we weren't a part of", Josh "It's almost like High School all over again", Josh has some bad memories

From Paris teams travel on a local train to St Pierre de Corps. This trains arrives around 09:37. At the station there is a chickens with their heads cut off moment until the teams find the provided cars. On the windshield is their next clue:

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Pick up eight emptycrates outside of theBrasserie de la Tourlocated next to thestation. Then, using theHands-Free Liftgate,"kick" open the liftgate... crates into...

Teams must now pick up some empty crates and use a fancy feature to open the boot and load the car. Finally they must drive themselves to Chateau de Villandry where they must find a stone dog statue, which holds their next clue.

"There's no need for us to fret about how to get there. We might as well just stay in the pack 'cause we know they'll be working together.", Brent prefers waits while the other teams get directions "If we finish first today, I hope we win a car. My mom has kind of needed a car for a while", James realizes there is a good chance that they can win a car today "The Sri-Lankans are going to start panicking during this leg, so let's just play to it", Brent expects the speed-bump to help them

As teams drive towards the castle the twins start getting anxious. They ask the others for help to loose Josh & Brent. But no help is forthcoming.

"This place is gorgeous", Lexi as she runs through the very large ornamental gardens of Chateau de Villandy

In the gardens teams start asking a gardener for directions. They have communications trouble until Josh appears and start talking French. "Sneaky", The twins finally learn that Josh speaks French "Ohhhh, whoa, Josh just starts spitting French at somebody. That was a little scary to know that he knew that", Jaymes was also surprised "You guys starting to sweat a little bit?", Josh taunts the twins "Wait a minute. These boys are pulling all kinds of tricks.", Jaymes is surprised by the speed the recently injured Josh can move at, and his knowledge of french

The twins encounter their speed bump next to the stone dog. They must find a specific room in the castle and once there lace a corset worn by the lady of the house. There is an example on a mannequin which they can look at.

"Can't believe we're gonna lose 'em and they're gonna get to follow them", the Twins are stressed when they get separated from the pack but the Beekmans can stay in it "Guys, please lose them, don't let them follow you", The twins try to elicit help from the other teams "You guys don't need to lose us. Play nice and don't listen to these bitches", The Beekmans bites back "Have fun at the speed bump", Brent, ironically, to the twins

Teams reach the stone dog in the following order: 1. Trey & Lexi 2. Jaymes & James 3. Josh & Brent, a second after #1 4. Natalie & Nadiya, after having performed their speed bump

Route info: "Find Da Vinci's final resting place for your next clue". Teams must now figure out that Leonardo Da Vinci is buried at Chateau D'Amboise, and drive themselves there.

"It was very interesting how quickly the alliance broke down because as soon as the twins were no longer in the picture, Chippendales and Lex & Tex where like whatever we wanted to do", Brent suddenly find the other teams cooperative "We'll follow Josh, if you want to bring your French skills on in and help us out then, hey you know, Bonjour", Jaymes gladly accepts the help "The only thing that worries me is that they're not really good with directions", Lexi doubts it is a good idea to follow the Beekmans

Lexi is soon proven right when the Beekmans get lost and have to stop and ask for directions. "Can they not use the map that we have?", Lexi wonder why the Beekmans are asking for directions

Teams find the next clue on the side of a pot of flowers in the castle church in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi, a few minutes after noon 2(+0) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Josh & Brent, within a minute of #1 4(+0) Natalie & Nadiya

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: 'Plow' or 'Chow'

Plow: Using a onehorsepower "tractor", tillthe soil to create 4furrows in the fieldsadjacent to Chateau deCheverny....

Both options takes place at or near Chateau de Cheverny.

In Chow teams must sort, weigh and cut various meats to create a well balanced meal for a pack of hunting dogs. In the process they must debone the the meat and remove all foreign objects.

In Plow teams must use a horse and plow to till a field. The area is set up with three 'lanes'. One is used for a demonstration and the other two are for the teams. Making the furrow straight is a lot harder than it looks. But it doesn't matter that much since the judge approves all teams doing it on their first try.

"Do you think our cookbook skills will stretch to dogs?", Brent wonders if they can do the Chow option "Ok, we can do Chow with you. We can help each other through it", Brent plans to work with Trey & Lexi

Initially Trey & Lexi plan to work with the Beekmans, but their competitive side kicks in and they decide to just go and not wait while the Beekmans fetch their car. "Their allegiance may be to the twins at this point. So we just have to be extra cautious, you really can't trust anybody at this stage of the race", Brent when they realize Trey & Lexi have left

On their way to the detour Trey & Lexi change their mind and decide to go with Plow instead. They think this will let them forge ahead of the other teams.

Teams arrive at the detour location in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi 2(+2) Natalie & Nadiya 3(-1) Jaymes & James, less than a minute after #2 4(-1) Josh & Brent, less than a minute after #3

"This is why we stay by ourselves baby, we're rocking it", Lexi when they arrive first "Being born and raised in Texas, I have horses on my ranch", Lexi is used to working with horses

"We have no cushion anymore", Jaymes feels the pressure when the twins have caught up "Oh well. You know, we do what we can", Josh has a more fatalistic world view when he sees the twins "We have made dog food with our grandfather before", The twins on why they choose chow

"My forearms are killing me", James finds the plowing hard "This is so awesome, us country people doing the country detour", Lexi is enjoying herself

The twins arrive at the meat cutting tables seconds before the Beekmans. A great amount of trash talking ensues as both teams try to distract the others. All of it is however in god humor and the teams are good friends even after the race. "We're competing against goat farmers who use their knives regularly, stabbing people in the back", Natalie "The nice gays became the evil gays today", Natalie implies that Josh has faked his injury "We've always been evil, we've never been nice", The twins admit they are not nice

The Beekmans have a strategy to pick meats which do not need to be deboned, while the twins just seem to take whichever piece of meat is on top. "You guys can cut and talk at the same time, we can not. Evil gays!", Natalie realizes that the Beekmans are trying to distract them

When teams are done with the meats they must weight and bring 20kg of pellets as well. "Oh my god, this is what we wanted to avoid", The twins realize they are way behind in the detour "The Gays bloody beat us", The twins admit defeat

Teams find the clue by the caves, in a basket of mushrooms, in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi 2(+0) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Josh & Brent 4(+0) Natalie & Nadiya

The twins arrived at the caves before the Beekmans, but ran into the cave to search for the next clue there. Which was wrong since the clue is in the shop at the parking lot.

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who's a 'fun-guy'?

Note: Jaymes, Lexi andBrent must perform thisRoad Block.

In this road block teams must search a vast underground limestone mine which nowadays is used to grow mushrooms. Teams are shown three different kinds of Champions and must find and pick 10 of each kind in the cave. The cave is vast, there are no signs and the sparse lighting tends to go on and off randomly.

Teams must first unload the crates from their car and bring them to the boutique.

"Freezing up in here", Lexi find that the caves are cold "That cave was enormous, and it was dark and a little bit scary", Lexi "There is a ton of different mushrooms down there", Lexi realizes the task is harder than it seemed at the surface "Am I running in circles? I'm so confused", Lexi is having a hard time "That's to easy, it can't be right", Jaymes thinks he found the mushrooms immediately "Don't get excited, it is really confusing down there", Jaymes to James when he is the first to emerge form the cave

"I usually try to be very Zen. But when I saw the twins there I knew this was neck and neck. I was so frantic I didn't know exactly what I was trying to do", Brent start looking for mushrooms under rocks etc

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Trey & Lexi*

(6-6)

2(+0)

Jaymes* & James

(6-6)

Failed once

3(+1)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(5-5)

4(-1)

Josh & Brent*

(6-6)

Ten minutes after #3

Route info: "Drive yourselves to the next pit stop, the castle of the ladies". The clue also tells that the last team to check in will be eliminated.

The real name of this castle is Chateau de Chnonceau. And like all the other castles in this episode it looks gorgeous.

Trey & Lexi get directions to what turns out to be the wrong castle. They arrive at the right castle close on the heels of the Chippendales. Both teams start searching the grounds for the pit stop. This time there is no talk of working together.

It is a tense race to the pit stop between the last two teams. They both know that it is about a spot in the final, and they both want it. On the way both teams encounter the same real detour, which just adds to the heart rate. "I hope they're going the wrong way", Josh has a wish when the twins leave the road block "Now we're just kind of heading in this direction, hoping it's right", Nadiya has issues navigating "We should have followed the detour arrows", Brent practices hindsight

Teams find Phil by the river, they have to run through the castle to get there, in the following order: 1(+1) Jaymes & James, win a new car each 2(-1) Trey & Lexi 3(+1) Josh & Brent 4(-1) Natalie & Nadiya, are eliminated

"Momma needed some wheels bad, I can't wait to see the look on her face. She's probably gonna drop just there from excitement", James is going to give his car to his mom "We're certainly gaining momentum and confidence, at the point we need it the most", Brent "I'm telling you, the Beekmans have tricks up their sleeves", the twins respect the Beekmans "If we can take anything from this race it is to say that we need to harness the potential we have into a more positive reaction instead of only crazy", The twins have some insight "We had a lot of fun on the race", The twins have happy memories

Teams depart from Chateau de Chnonceau in the Loire Valley, France, in the following order:

1.

Jaymes & James

01:33

2.

Trey & Lexi

01:44

(+0:11)

3.

Josh & Brent

03:06

(+1:33)

Route info: "Fly to your final destination city New York, New York". The clue also contains a small postcard showing a painting of an amusement park with some text on the back "Wish you were here!". Teams must figure out that the postcard sends them to the Coney island boardwalk. Their next clue is hidden in a sign visible from the spot depicted on the card. The sign is not in the usual race colors and looks like the poster for a typical sideshow. The big title on it reads "The Amazing Houdini". Slightly smaller text with yellow stripes reads "Race to the Brooklyn Navy Yard" and "Clinton avenue gate".

"That might be Coney island, we'll figure that out", Jaymes is on the right track "It's been a long road to get to this point", Jaymes look a bit tired "I've been working in the city for the last five years", Josh things he will have the home field advantage

There is a happy reunion at the airport when the first two teams see that the Beekman boys made it. All teams make the same flight, probably: AA45 CDG-JFK 12:02-14:23 (landed 0:58 late)

In New York teams run out of the airport in the following order: 1. Jaymes & James 2. Trey & Lexi 3. Josh & Brent, one step behind #2

All teams have figured out that they need to go to Coney island and nobody have any trouble getting there. They arrive in the same order. But spotting the next clue is a harder task. Some teams run around to look for race flags or anything red and yellow. We get lots of shots with teams in the foreground and the next clue in the background.

"Anything red and yellow", Jaymes is frantic "Are any of these rides marked at their entrance", Jaymes is running around "You think it's any of these signs Josh?", Brent is on the right track "What are we missing?", James straight in front of the poster "This is crazy, we've lost everybody", Jaymes after the other teams have left

Teams spot the sign in the following order: 1(+1) Trey & Lexi 2(+1) Josh & Brent, a couple of seconds after #1 3(-2) Jaymes & James, about 15 minutes after the others

What the clue doesn't tell them is that they will be attached to a bungee-cord as well. Once they have escaped the straightjacket a sprint is pulled and they plummet to the ground, only to be saved by the bungee-cord.

The area is set up with three cranes so that all teams can perform simultaneously. Jaymes & James seem to arrive just as Trey is being hoisted. So we can guess that the security briefing and rigging took about 15 minutes.

"I'm thinking you", Lexi decides who gets to do the road block "I don't like heights at all, don't like being restrained tightly", Trey is however unable to put up a fight as well "This is seriously high", Trey at the foot of the cranes "I'm not scared, heights don't bother me. The only thing I'm worried about is actually figuring out how to get out of a straightjacket", Brent "I had seen Houdini get out of a straightjacek before. So I knew I had to get my arms over my head", Trey at least had a hunch on what to do "My gosh, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen", Lexi has just seen Trey hurtle towards the ground "I'm having trouble figuring out how to get out of a straightjacket at the moment", Brent is in a tricky situation "I came right up to edge of starting to panic", Brent almost didn't make it "Dang, he's done already", Brent is surprised how quickly Jaymes escaped

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Trey* & Lexi

(7-6)

2(+0)

Josh & Brent*

(6-7)

3(+0)

Jaymes* & James

(7-6)

Route info: "Make your way to the first Pizzeria in New York. Once there ask for the owner John". Teams have to figure out which pizzeria the clue is talking about (Lombardi's at 32 Spring Street) and where it is. Nobody seem to have a problem with this since people around tend to have smartphones.

The only team having a problem here is Jaymes & James whose taxi have left so they have to call a new one, which wastes time. And then they get stuck in traffic. "We're gonna run, you meet us there, ok?", James & Jaymes run ahead to the pizzeria

Deliver 10 pizzas tothree locations on foot.Once all 10 pizzas havebeen delivered correctly,return to John atLombardi's to receiveyour next clue.

The tricky part is that teams must memorize the locations and which pizzas to deliver to which location. Each team has a different set of addresses to deliver to.

"We have lived in New York for about 20 year now, and we've had a lot of pizzas delivered to us. But we've never delivered a pizza ourselves", Josh "I took two addresses to memorize and all Josh had to do was to get the right pizza pies", Brent blames Josh when they delivered the wrong pizzas "I can not believe that you did that, and you're still making me carry all the pizzas", Brent is not happy when they leave for their second delivery run

Teams complete the pizza delivery task in the following order: 1(+0) Trey & Lexi 2(+0) Josh & Brent, mixed up some pizzas so they had to redo two deliveries 3(+0) Jaymes & James

Once teams are done they get their next clue, which consists of a small blue badge with the UN symbol on it. Of the teams it is only Josh & Brent who immediately recognizes the UN symbol. The others have to ask around. Teams arrive at the UN headquarters in the same order they left Lombardi's.

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who has a way with words?

If you did the other oneyou can not do this one.

Once they have realized they can not choose who's gonna do this task they can open the clue and read:

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Every greeter you have metat each Pit Stop has said"Hello" and "Goodbye" toyou in their native language.Raise flags with the wordsfor the equivalent of "Hello"and "Goodbye" under theflags of the nine countriesyou visited during the Race.

Once you have raised all ofyour flags correctly, you willreceive your next clue.

N...

There are three sets of flagpoles, and the word-flags are arranged so that teams can't see the flags of the other teams. The correct countries and words are:

USA

Hello

Goodbye

Already hoisted as an example

China

Ni Hao

Zai Jian

Indonesia

Hai

Selamat Tingagal

Bangladesh

Shagotom

Abbar Dekha Hobe

Turkey

MerHaba

Hoscakal

Russia

Zoravstvujitye

Do Svidaniya

Netherlands

Hallo

Tot Ziens

Spain

Hola

Adios

France

Bonjour

Au Revoir

An added complexity is that there are some extra word flags to choose from. On the other hand the task is made significantly easier by the fact that as soon as they have hoisted two words under one flag they get told if those are correct or not. But still the task is far from easy and after picking out the easy countries (Spain and France) teams are reduced to either random guessing or methodically trying all combinations.

"It's a challenge! it's a challenge!", Lexi cant contain her excitement when she arrive "We did not write down what the greeter said to us", Trey, but nobody else did either "Every time we checked in they always said hello and goodbye, and Phil would say that means hello and that means goodbye. I just thought they were being cordial", Jaymes "I panicked", Josh felt the pressure "When I saw those flags I though we had it in the bag. I thought we had prepared well and then... hello and goodbye", Lexi was prepared for a lot of things but not this

Lexi is hit in the head by the flag raising contraption when she lowers it too quickly. This is the final straw and she has s small breakdown. Trey has to come and calm her down. "You okay Lexi?", Josh has also seen the accident "That sounds like a sandwich, making me hungry", Jaymes can only watch as James work (the word is Merhaba) "I transformed this challenge from a language problem to a math problem at the end", Eventually Josh started to try every single combination "Every time I got on the mat with Phil I paid attention to everything, except what they said", Lexi has no clue

After 2.5 hours the position is: Josh, 6/8 correct, and is about to hoist the correct 7th flag James, 6/8 correct Lexi, 4/8 correct

"Bangladesh is not good to us", Josh struggles with his last country "Dang it", Trey's comment when the Beekmans get their last country

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Josh* & Brent

(7-7)

2(+1)

Jaymes & James*

(7-7)

10-15 minutes after #1

3(-2)

Trey & Lexi*

(7-7)

Quote

ROUTE INFO

This is it! The finish line!

Make your way toGotham hall. Go go go!

There is now a tense taxi ride to the finish line for the first two teams. Their blood pressure is probably not at all at an healthy level.

In the end teams reach Phil in the following order: 1(+0) Josh & Brent, win the one million dollars 2(+0) Jaymes & James 3(+0) Trey & Lexi

At the final mat in front of Phil we get to see the first show of affection between Josh & Brent when they hug and kiss each other. They have tried to keep a low profile during the race as to not offend any locals, but now they are home and happy.

"Three continents, nine countries, 20 cities and more than 25,000 miles", Phil "We never ever though we would hear you say those words to us", Brent "Yeah, we didn't win the million dollars, but we had an incredible experience", Jaymes "Maybe the world will have a different view of Chippendales now. I don't know if that's better or worse", Jaymes "Texas is in the house", Phil makes an off camera comment

"I think we are definitely ready for that next step. It's just a matter of when Trey is ready for that next step", Lexi knows what she wants

"The Beekman boys changed my life dramatically. Opened my hearth to see that, hey look, it's not for me to judge anybody on their lifestyle, who they are or what they do", Rob